FG Warns Ministers Against Foreign Trips Without Approval

From Victor Osula Abuja

 

 

The Federal Government has warned ministers, heads of agencies and other government appointees against embarking on official foreign trips without first obtaining approval from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF).

The government said any official foreign trip undertaken without the requisite clearance would be regarded as a breach of established administrative procedures, with expenditure incurred in connection with such trips subject to appropriate reporting under existing financial and audit regulations.

The directive was contained in a circular dated August 13, 2026, and signed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume.

The circular, with reference number PRS59648/S.13/TI/335, was addressed to the Chief of Staff to the President, Deputy Chief of Staff to the Vice President, all ministers, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation and other senior government functionaries.

Akume said the directive had become necessary because of the persistent disregard of existing regulations governing official foreign travel by some Federal Government appointees.

According to him, despite several directives issued by successive administrations to regulate foreign trips and promote fiscal discipline, cases of officials travelling abroad without obtaining the required approval from the OSGF continued to be recorded.

“It has been observed with concern that some Federal Government Appointees continue to embark on official foreign trips without obtaining prior approval from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), contrary to extant Government directives and established administrative procedures regulating official travels outside the country”, Akume stated.

The SGF reaffirmed that all official foreign trips undertaken by Federal Government appointees must receive prior approval from the OSGF before the officials leave the country.

The only exceptions, he said, would be where the requirement is expressly waived by law or where a specific presidential directive provides otherwise.

Akume explained that the approval process was consistent with the principles of due process, centralised coordination of government business and prudent management of public resources.

He cited the Public Service Rules, 2021 Edition, and the Financial Regulations, Revised Edition, January 2009, as part of the regulatory framework supporting the requirement.

The SGF said the continued disregard for the rules undermined the Federal Government’s efforts to ensure proper coordination, accountability and transparency in official foreign engagements.

It also, he noted, weakened government efforts to monitor foreign assignments undertaken by its officials and ensure that public resources were deployed only for authorised government business.

In what appears to be a move to close loopholes that have allowed officials to travel without prior clearance, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been directed to make evidence of OSGF approval a mandatory requirement for processing official foreign travel requests.

The ministry is specifically required to demand proof of valid OSGF approval before processing requests for official Notes Verbales, diplomatic facilitation and other applications relating to official foreign travel by government appointees.

The directive further requires the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to communicate the new requirement to all foreign missions and embassies accredited to Nigeria.

Such missions are to be advised that applications for Official, Diplomatic or Service Visas by government appointees should, where applicable, be accompanied by duly issued OSGF travel approval as part of the mandatory supporting documentation.

The government has also tied compliance with the directive directly to public expenditure.

Akume directed Accounting Officers, Permanent Secretaries, Chief Executive Officers and Heads of Federal Government Agencies to ensure that no expenditure relating to official foreign travel by government appointees is processed without prior OSGF approval. The directive also gives the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation a specific role in checking compliance.

According to the SGF, every government appointee who undertakes an official foreign trip at public expense must be able to produce evidence of the requisite OSGF approval during audit exercises.

Akume warned that any expenditure incurred on an official foreign trip without the required approval would be reported in accordance with existing Financial Regulations and applicable audit procedures.

“Any expenditure incurred in respect of official foreign travel undertaken without the required approval shall be reported appropriately in accordance with extant Financial Regulations and applicable audit procedures”, he stated.

The SGF’s latest directive is not the first attempt by the Federal Government to rein in official foreign travel.

Akume recalled several circulars issued over the years to control overseas trips by ministers, heads of agencies, board chairmen and other senior public officials. Among them is the Guidelines for Official Travels by Cabinet Members, Heads of Agencies and Public Officials, issued on September 18, 2023.

Others include the Guidelines for Official Trips by Chairmen of Federal Government Committees, Boards of Corporations and Government-Owned Companies, dated March 31, 2015.

The government also issued the Additional Cost Control Measures to Guide Foreign Trips by Ministers and Senior Government Officials on September 27, 2017.

Another circular, dated March 8, 2018, addressed what the government described as Observed Indifferent Adherence to Extant Regulations Guiding the Conduct of Foreign Trips by Public Officials. There was also the November 20, 2012 circular on Further Cost-Cutting Measures and Fiscal Prudence on Travel by Cabinet Members.

The latest directive comes as the Federal Government continues to emphasise fiscal discipline and prudent management of public resources.

Official foreign travel has remained an area of public scrutiny, particularly regarding the cost of air tickets, accommodation, allowances, official delegations and the frequency of overseas engagements by government officials.

The government has, over the years, introduced different measures to ensure that foreign trips are necessary, properly authorised and undertaken in the interest of the country.

The SGF directed all ministers, Permanent Secretaries, Accounting Officers and heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies to ensure strict compliance with the provisions of the circular.

The directive takes immediate effect and supersedes any administrative practice inconsistent with its provisions, while remaining subject to other extant regulations governing official foreign travel.