President Bola Tinubu has ordered a ban on all foreign trips by ministers and other government officials, PREMIUM TIMES can exclusively report.
Mr 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, Mr Tinubu directed an embargo on all foreign trips. However, according to the letter, exemption could be given to “trips deemed absolutely necessary”.
PREMIUM TIMES obtained a copy of the letter and its authenticity was confirmed by some ministers.
A minister, who preferred not to be named because he has no permission to speak on the matter, told this medium that he received a copy of the letter from the presidency.
In the letter, President Tinubu expressed concerns over the rising cost of foreign trips embarked upon by government officials amid Nigeria’s dire economic situation.
According to the letter, the ban will last 90 days in the first instance and will come into effect on 1 April, 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 reads.
The letter stated further that “Considering the current economic challenges and the need for responsible fiscal management, I am writing to communicate Mr Presideni’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.
“This temporary measure is aimed at cost reduction in governance and intended as a cost-saving measure without compromising government functions.”
Mr 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.
Former President Muhammadu Buhari also issued a travel ban to officials in 2019. However, that ban was to allow government officials appear before the National Assembly for budget defence.
Mr Tinubu’s half-hearted commitment to cutting cost of governance
Mr Tinubu, since his inauguration in May, has embarked on some painful reforms like fuel subsidy removal and unification of the exchange rate regime.
Some of the reforms have produced inflationary pressures. However, many see the current government as not cutting down its recurrent expenditure.
Many Nigerians consider Mr Tinubu as not committed to cutting down the cost of governance. Often, the president embarks on foreign trips with large delegations.
Mr Tinubu faced backlash during and after the last twenty-eighth Conference of Parties (COP28) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). About 590 Nigerian officials attended the conference.
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 Mr 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 on the pretence of seeking foreign investors and investments.
Recent directive on trips
In January, President Tinubu issued a directive on cutting down the size of delegations for local and foreign trips.
Mr Tinubu 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.
“That number will be cut down to five in the case of the First Lady. Additionally, the number in the entourage on official international trips for the Vice President will be cut to five, the number that will be placed as a limit on the wife of the Vice President is also five,” Ajuri Ngelale, the spokesperson to the president stated.
The policy drew huge praises from many Nigerians who had all along been irritated by the regime of waste and mismanagement of public funds characterising government operations at state and federal levels.
However, PREMIUM TIMES published a report on how the president violated his own directive.
PREMIUM TIMES had in an editorial, advised Mr Tinubu to avoid unnecessary foreign trips because of cost implications.
“In the first seven months of Tinubu’s administration, a total of 16 official trips to France, United States, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kenya, Guinea Bissau, India, and China, among others, were made by him and the vice-president, spanning 91 days. The cost imperatives of these trips are undoubtedly huge,” the editorial reads in part.
It is left to be seen if the president is committed to implementing this new travel restriction on his appointees.
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