The Federal Government has slammed the brakes on official foreign travel by ministers, agency heads and other government appointees, ordering them to obtain prior approval from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) before travelling abroad on government business.
The tough new directive also puts Nigeria’s foreign missions on alert.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been ordered to demand proof of valid OSGF approval before processing official travel documents, including Notes Verbales, diplomatic facilitation and applications for Official, Diplomatic or Service Visas by government appointees.
The move comes amid growing scrutiny over individuals and organisations claiming to represent the Federal Government, particularly following the controversy surrounding Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, the self-styled Director-General of the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC).
But the government’s latest action goes far beyond the controversial agency.
It covers ministers, permanent secretaries, heads of ministries, departments and agencies, security chiefs, regulatory bodies, anti-corruption agencies, electoral institutions, government-owned companies and other federal appointees.
The directive was contained in a circular signed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, titled:
“Non-Compliance by Government Appointees with the Requirement for OSGF Approval for Official Foreign Trips and the Mandatory Inclusion of OSGF Approval in the Processing of Official Visas.”
NO CLEARANCE, NO OFFICIAL TRIP
The SGF said the government had observed that some officials were still embarking on official foreign trips without obtaining the required clearance.
He warned that such conduct undermines government efforts to enforce accountability, transparency, fiscal discipline and proper coordination of official foreign engagements.
The government therefore reaffirmed that all official foreign trips by Federal Government appointees require prior OSGF approval, except where the law or a specific presidential directive provides otherwise.
The requirement, the circular said, is consistent with the Public Service Rules, Financial Regulations and other existing government directives.
FOREIGN MISSIONS GET NEW CHECKPOINT
In what could prove to be the most significant part of the directive, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been instructed to make OSGF approval a mandatory part of the documentation for official foreign travel.
The ministry must also formally notify foreign missions and embassies accredited to Nigeria that government appointees seeking Official, Diplomatic or Service Visas should, where applicable, present the required OSGF travel approval.
In effect, the government is creating another layer of verification to determine whether an individual travelling abroad in Nigeria’s name is actually authorised to do so.
NO APPROVAL, NO PUBLIC MONEY
The crackdown does not stop at travel documentation.
The Auditor-General for the Federation has been directed to demand evidence of OSGF approval during audits of official foreign trips paid for with public funds.
And officials could face financial scrutiny if they ignore the rule.
The circular states that expenditure incurred on unauthorised foreign travel will be reported in accordance with applicable Financial Regulations and audit procedures.
Accounting officers, permanent secretaries, chief executives and heads of government agencies have also been ordered to ensure that no public funds are processed for official foreign travel unless the requisite approval has first been obtained.
DIRECTIVE TAKES IMMEDIATE EFFECT
The government has ordered all ministers, permanent secretaries, accounting officers and heads of ministries, departments and agencies to comply strictly with the new directive.
The circular takes immediate effect and supersedes any administrative practice inconsistent with its provisions.
The breadth of the directive is striking.
Among those covered are ministers and ministers of state, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, National Security Adviser, presidential advisers, service chiefs, the Inspector-General of Police, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, heads of anti-corruption agencies, electoral bodies, revenue agencies and numerous other federal institutions.
FROM FAKE AGENCIES TO FOREIGN TRAVEL: FG MOVES TO CLOSE THE GAPS
The development comes at a time when the controversy surrounding the purported PFIPC and its self-styled Director-General has triggered questions over how individuals claiming government authority can engage public institutions and foreign entities in Nigeria’s name.
The latest circular does not specifically name the purported PFIPC or Adeyemi.
Instead, the Federal Government has opted for a broader administrative response: tighten the approval chain for official foreign engagements and make documentation easier to verify.
The message is clear:
No OSGF clearance. No official foreign trip. No visa facilitation. And no processing of public funds for the trip.
With the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, foreign missions, accounting officers and the Auditor-General now built into the verification chain, the government is seeking to make it significantly harder for unauthorised individuals to present themselves abroad as official representatives of Nigeria.
FG Tightens Foreign Trips — Ministers, DGs Now Need SGF Clearance
