By DAVID IORJA, Abuja –
As part of a broader effort to reduce the cost of governance in Nigeria, President Bola Tinubu has directed the 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.
The president’s directives is contained in a statement issued by his spokesman, Mr. Ajuri Ngelale on Monday in Abuja.
“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”, Tinubu said in a statement on Monday by his spokesman, Mr. Ajuri Ngelale.
By this directive of the President, all Ministries, Departments and Agencies 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 participating in the event.
The statement added that: “Where excesses or anomalies in this regard are identified, they will be removed during the final verification process.
The President affirmed that, henceforth, government officials and government expenditure must reflect the prudence and sacrifice being made by well-meaning Nigerians across the nation.
DISCLAIMER
The OPINION / COLUMN is authored by independent contributors to the National Accord Newspaper. While contributors adhere to our editorial guidelines, they are not employed by the National Accord Newspaper. The perspectives and opinions expressed herein are solely those of the author and do not represent the views of the National Accord Newspaper or its staff.