FAKE AGENCIES ROCK FG: MINISTERS, DGs FACE FOREIGN TRAVEL CRACKDOWN

Nigeria’s Federal Government has tightened controls over official foreign travel by ministers, directors general and other political appointees, warning that public money spent on unauthorised trips will face audit scrutiny and possible sanctions.

Under a fresh directive from the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, all official foreign trips by Federal Government appointees must receive prior approval from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, OSGF, except where the law or a specific presidential directive provides otherwise.

The move follows continued breaches of existing travel rules despite several government circulars issued over the years to control official foreign travel and reduce unnecessary expenditure.

The SGF said cases of non-compliance had persisted, undermining efforts to promote accountability, transparency, fiscal discipline and prudent management of public resources.

The latest directive introduces a stronger compliance chain.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is now required to demand evidence of valid OSGF approval when processing official Notes Verbales, diplomatic facilitation and applications connected to official foreign travel. Foreign missions and embassies accredited to Nigeria are also to be informed of the requirement.

The Office of the Auditor General for the Federation has been given another critical role.

During future audits, the Auditor General is expected to require every government appointee who travelled abroad at public expense to produce evidence of the requisite OSGF approval. Any expenditure associated with an unauthorised trip is to be reported in accordance with applicable financial regulations and audit procedures.

The directive also places responsibility directly on accounting officers, permanent secretaries, chief executive officers and heads of Federal Government agencies.

They are required to ensure that expenditure relating to official foreign travel is not processed unless the necessary approval has already been obtained.

For compliance professionals, this is more than a travel administration issue.

Foreign travel by senior officials can involve substantial expenditure covering airfares, accommodation, allowances, security, protocol and other logistical costs. Weak approval controls can therefore create opportunities for waste, unauthorised spending and poor accountability.

The government’s decision to link travel approval with visa and diplomatic processing creates a second layer of control. Instead of relying solely on internal government instructions, the system places a documentation requirement at the point where officials seek foreign travel facilitation.

It also creates an auditable trail.

The key question now is whether the new controls will be consistently enforced across ministries, departments and agencies, particularly where senior officials have traditionally enjoyed significant discretion over official engagements.

The government has cited previous circulars dating back to 2012, 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2023, suggesting that the central problem has not been an absence of rules but persistent failure to comply with rules already in force.

A new approval regime will only strengthen public financial management if violations produce consequences, audit findings are followed through and officials cannot bypass the system through informal arrangements.

For Nigeria’s wider anti-corruption framework, the directive therefore presents a practical test of whether preventive controls can stop questionable expenditure before public funds leave government accounts.

The real compliance test is no longer whether Nigeria has rules governing official travel. It is whether the government can make senior officials, accounting officers and institutions follow them.

Compliance takeaway

The new regime strengthens the preventive control environment around government expenditure. Effective implementation will require central approval records, independent audit verification, clear accountability for accounting officers and timely escalation of unauthorised expenditure.