Ministers, MDA heads, others banned from embarking on foreign trips
President Bola Tinubu has ordered a ban on all foreign trips by ministers and other government officials.
Tinubu gave the directive via a letter by his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, addressed to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume.
In the letter dated 12 March, 2024 the President directed an embargo on all foreign trips.
It however said any urgent and necessary trip must get the approval of the President.
A minister, who preferred not to be named because he has no permission to speak on the matter, said that he received a copy of the letter from the presidency.
President Tinubu expressed concerns about the rising cost of foreign trips embarked upon by government officials amid Nigeria’s dire economic situation.
The letter stated that the ban was for 90 days in the first instance and to come into effect on April 1, 2024.
“Mr. President has concerns about the rising cost of travel expenses borne by Ministries, Department and Agencies of Government as well as the growing need for Cabinet Members and heads of MDAs to focus on their respective mandates for effective service delivery,” the letter read.
The letter stated further, “Considering the current economic challenges and the need for responsible fiscal management, I am writing to communicate Mr President’s directive to place a temporary ban on all public funded international trips for all Federal Government officials at all levels, for an initial period of three (3) months from Is April 2024.
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“This temporary measure is aimed at cost reduction in governance and intended as a cost-saving measure without compromising government functions.”
Tinubu said exemptions would need presidential approvals which must be sought two weeks ahead of the planned trip.
“All government officials who intend to go on any public funded international trips must seek and obtain Presidential approval at least two (2) weeks prior to embarking on any such trip, which must be deemed absolutely necessary,” the letter reads.
Recall that former President Muhammadu Buhari also issued a travel ban to officials in 2019.
However, that ban was to allow government officials to appear before the National Assembly for budget defence.
Since his inauguration in May, Tinubu has embarked on some painful reforms including fuel subsidy removal and unification of the exchange rate regime.
Some of the reforms have produced inflationary pressures. But many see the current government as not cutting down its recurrent expenditure.
PREMIUM TIMES reports that President Tinubu faced backlash during and after the last 28 Conference of Parties (COP28) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), with about 590 Nigerian officials in attendance.
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In response to public criticisms, the government said it only funded 422 persons of the 590-person delegation that included the president’s son, Seyi Tinubu, and other individuals believed to have no significant roles at the climate conference.
The 422 people funded by the Federal Government under Tinubu are, however, more than triple the total number of official government delegations to COP27 last year (120) and COP26 in 2021 (87).
Also, he has been criticized for travelling with his grown-up children to official state functions.
The President visited Qatar on a state visit recently and went to the Gulf state country with two of his children.
Aside from the president, some of the ministers have also been junketing around the world in the name of seeking foreign investors and investments.
In January, President Tinubu issued a directive on cutting down the size of delegations for local and foreign trips.
He directed that individuals on his delegations should be pegged at 25 for local travels and 20 for international engagements.
He also ordered that security agents based at his destinations should be regularly deployed for his protection whenever he travels to states instead of being accompanied by many security details from Abuja, the nation’s capital.
The policy drew huge praises from many Nigerians.