Tinubu excludes officials with no direct UNGA participation from Nigeria’s delegation

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.

This is part of a broader effort to reduce the cost of governance in Nigeria, Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity has said in a statement on Monday.

It said the U.S. Mission in Nigeria as well as Nigeria’s Permanent Mission in New York have also been directed to stop the accreditation of any government official who is not placed on the protocol lists forwarded by the approving authority.

The Statement further directed all federal ministries, departments and agencies 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.

It stated that where excesses or anomalies in this regard are identified, they will be removed during the final verification process.

The statement affirmed that, henceforth, government officials and government expenditure must reflect the prudence and sacrifice being made by well-meaning Nigerians across the nation.