President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed a reduction in the number of Federal Government officials that will attend foreign events, on government’s sponsorship.
He said this would begin with the United Nations’ General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, the United States (U.S.A) that will hold in September.
A statement in Abuja by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, said President Tinubu ordered the reduction in the number of government officials that participate in foreign trips to enable his administration save cost in the course of governance.
According to the statement, the President’s directive will be implemented by the various ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) of government.
It warned that wherever it is discovered that the directive has not been followed, necessary actions would be taken during the final verification process.
“As part of a broader effort to reduce the cost of governance in Nigeria, President Bola Tinubu has directed the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs to freeze the processing of visas for all government officials seeking to travel to New York for the United Nations General Assembly without proof of direct participation in UNGA’s official schedule of activities.
“To prevent any sharp practice in this regard, the U.S. Mission in Nigeria is accordingly guided on official visa processing while Nigeria’s Permanent Mission in New York is further directed to prevent and stop the accreditation of any government official who is not placed on the protocol lists forwarded by the approving authority.
“By this directive of the President, all Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) are mandated to ensure that all officials, who are approved for inclusion in the UNGA delegation, strictly limit the number of aides and associated staff members partaking in the event. Where excesses or anomalies in this regard are identified, they will be removed during the final verification process.
“The President wishes to affirm that, henceforth, government officials and government expenditure must reflect the prudence and sacrifice being made by well-meaning Nigerians across the nation,” the statement said.
