Nigeria’s president asks ministers to avoid publicly-funded foreign trips

Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu banned his ministers from traveling abroad on public money for three months to cut costs and travel expenses.

The measure followed scant criticism on social media of his government after sending a delegation of 400 people to COP28 on public money.

With 15 trips since he took power, Tinubu’s trips cost the Nigerian taxpayers 2.2 million dollars just in the first six months of his presidency, that is 36% more than the budgeted amount for 2023, according to the BBC.

The ban, which starts on April 1, will make an exception for extremely necessary trips.

The decision is also aimed to send a message to an inflation-stricken Nigerian population that the government is taking measures to reduce unnecessary costs.

Nigeria’s inflation rate rose to 29.90% in January 2024, from 28.92% in December 2023. This is the highest rate in two decades.