“Why Ministers Now Need OSGF Approval Before Travelling Abroad”: FG Tightens Foreign Travel Rules

The Federal Government has barred ministers, heads of ministries, departments and agencies, and other government appointees from embarking on official foreign trips without prior approval from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

The directive comes amid heightened scrutiny following the controversy surrounding the self-styled Director-General of the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council.

A New Era of Accountability

The Federal Government has imposed strict new controls on official foreign travel by ministers, heads of ministries, departments and agencies, and other government appointees.

The directive, contained in a circular signed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, bars any government official from embarking on official foreign trips without prior approval from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF).

The government also directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to make evidence of valid OSGF approval a mandatory requirement for processing official travel documents, including official, diplomatic and service visas for government appointees.

The Trigger: The PFIPC Scandal

The move comes amid heightened scrutiny of government agencies and individuals claiming to represent the Federal Government, following the controversy surrounding the self-styled Director-General of the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi.

The controversy raised questions about how individuals claiming official status can undertake engagements in the name of Nigeria, including foreign engagements, without clear evidence of government authorisation.

A Pattern of Non-Compliance

The circular, titled “Non-Compliance by Government Appointees with the Requirement for OSGF Approval for Official Foreign Trips and the Mandatory Inclusion of OSGF Approval in the Processing of Official Visas,” said the government had observed that some officials continued to embark on official foreign trips without obtaining the required clearance.

“It has been observed with concern that some Federal Government Appointees continue to embark on official foreign trips without obtaining prior approval from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), contrary to extant government directives and established administrative procedures regulating official travels outside the country,” the circular stated.

The SGF recalled that the government had issued several circulars over the years to regulate official foreign travel by ministers, heads of ministries, departments and agencies, boards, committees and other public officials.

These directives were issued “with a view to promoting accountability, fiscal discipline and effective coordination of Government business”.

Despite the previous directives, cases of non-compliance had persisted.

“This trend undermines Government’s efforts to ensure proper coordination, accountability, transparency, prudent management of public resources and effective monitoring of official foreign engagements undertaken on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria,” the circular warned.

The New Directive

The government reaffirmed the requirement for prior clearance, stating: “Accordingly, all official foreign trips undertaken by Federal Government appointees shall continue to require prior approval from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation before such trips are undertaken” .

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A Lesson for Nigeria

The new directive is a necessary step towards accountability and fiscal discipline.

The same officials who have been travelling abroad without proper authorisation will never allow their own families to be subjected to such lax oversight. Their families are protected.

For Nigeria, the lesson is clear: accountability is not optional. The PFIPC scandal exposed how easily individuals can exploit weak systems to claim official status.

The same leaders who benefit from this laxity will never allow themselves to be victims of such fraud.

For the country, the cost has been immense.

Demand accountability. Insist on transparency. And never forget that public office is a trust, not a privilege.