Nigeria President suspends foreign trips for all government officials

Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu will introduce a three-month ban on ministers and other government officials from going on publicly funded foreign trips.

Mr Tinubu’s chief of staff said the move was prompted by the president’s “concerns about the rising cost of travel expenses” by public officials.

The ban will take effect on 1 April.

President Tinubu and his administration have been criticised by some for their frequent visits abroad.

He came under attack, especially on social media, after his government sponsored over 400 people to attend the COP28 climate conference in Dubai last November.

Since his inauguration in May 2023, Mr Tinubu has made more than 15 foreign trips.

The Nigerian president is said to have spent at least 3.4bn naira ($2.2m; £1.8m) on domestic and foreign travel in the first six months of his presidency – 36% more than the budgeted amount for 2023, the Nigerian newspaper Punch reported in January, citing GovSpend, a civic tech platform that tracks government spending.

Source:BBC