The Federal Government has tightened the rules governing official foreign trips by ministers, heads of agencies and other political appointees, directing that no such travel should take place without prior approval from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
Under the directive, evidence of approval from the OSGF will also become a mandatory requirement when government appointees seek official travel documentation, including diplomatic and service visa facilitation.
The new measure was contained in a circular signed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, following concerns that some officials continued to travel abroad on government business without obtaining the required clearance.
Brandspur Politics reports that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has now been directed to demand valid OSGF approval when processing Notes Verbales, diplomatic facilitation and other requests connected with official foreign travel by government appointees.
Foreign missions and embassies accredited to Nigeria are also to be informed of the requirement, providing an additional verification mechanism when officials apply for official, diplomatic or service visas.
The directive extends beyond ministers. It covers permanent secretaries, accounting officers, heads of ministries, departments and agencies, senior political appointees and chief executives of government-owned companies, among others.
Security chiefs, heads of regulatory institutions, anti-corruption agencies and other major federal bodies were also among recipients of the circular.
The government said the measure was necessary because previous directives on official foreign travel had not achieved full compliance. Similar guidelines and cost-control measures have been issued repeatedly since at least 2012.
According to the government, unauthorised trips weaken accountability and make it more difficult to coordinate Nigeria’s official engagements abroad while also creating concerns over the use of public funds.
The latest rules therefore introduce a financial control mechanism alongside the travel restrictions. Accounting officers and heads of federal institutions have been instructed not to process expenditure for an official foreign trip unless the required OSGF approval has been obtained.
The Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation will also check compliance during audits. Government appointees whose trips were funded with public money will be expected to provide evidence that they secured the necessary approval.
Expenditure incurred on unauthorised official foreign trips could consequently be flagged under existing financial regulations and audit procedures.
The directive comes amid scrutiny over individuals and organisations claiming to represent the Federal Government without clear evidence of authorisation, including the controversy surrounding the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council and its self-styled Director-General, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi.
The circular, however, does not restrict the new rules to that controversy. Instead, it establishes a government-wide requirement for appointees undertaking official engagements abroad.
Akume directed ministers, permanent secretaries, accounting officers and heads of federal institutions to ensure strict compliance, with the measures taking immediate effect.
