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 without proof of direct participation in UNGA’s official schedule of activities.
A statement by Ajuri Ngelale, the special adviser to the president on media and publicity, said this is part of a broader effort by the government to reduce the cost of governance in Nigeria
The statement said the government has also put the U.S. Mission in Nigeria on notice regarding the new policy, “to avoid sharp practices”
Ngelale stated that the notice is to guide officials processing visas for the Nigerian team, 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.
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“By this directive of the president, all federal 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 partaking in the event.
“Where excesses or anomalies in this regard are identified, they will be removed during the final verification process”
The statement said the president affirm that, “henceforth, government officials and government expenditure must reflect the prudence and sacrifice being made by well-meaning Nigerians across the nation”
