By Timothy Choji, Abuja
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, UNGA, without proof of direct participation in the official schedule of activities.
In a broader effort to reduce the cost of governance in Nigeria, this move comes as a timely measure.
To prevent any irregularities in this regard, the U.S. Mission in Nigeria has been explicitly instructed on official visa processing, while Nigeria’s Permanent Mission in New York has received directives to prevent and curb the accreditation of any government official who does not appear on the protocol lists forwarded by the approving authority.
By means of this directive, all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies must ensure that the UNGA delegation strictly limits the number of aides and associated staff participating in the event.
Ajuri Ngelale, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, issued a statement on Monday affirming, “where any excesses or anomalies are identified in this regard, they will be removed during the final verification process.”
Ngelale emphasized that the President is adamant that the government’s expenditure must reflect prudence.
“The President wishes to affirm that, going forward, government officials and government expenditure must align with the prudence and sacrifice exhibited by well-meaning Nigerians across the nation,” he said.
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