The new directive, contained in a circular signed by Secretary to the Government of the Federation George Akume, also requires the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to demand evidence of valid OSGF approval before processing official, diplomatic or service visa applications and other travel documentation for government appointees. The measure takes immediate effect.
The directive comes against the backdrop of the controversy surrounding Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, who presented himself as the Director-General of the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council. The Presidency has said the council does not exist under the Tinubu administration, while a House of Representatives committee investigating the matter concluded that documents presented by Adeyemi, including his alleged appointment letter, were fake.
The controversy exposed questions about how individuals could present themselves as government representatives and engage public institutions and foreign organisations without clear evidence of official authorisation. It also drew attention to weaknesses in the verification of government documents and appointments.
However, the latest travel directive is broader than the fake-agency controversy. It applies generally to Federal Government appointees and reinforces rules that have existed for years. The SGF's circular referenced previous directives issued in 2012, 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2023 to regulate official foreign travel and promote fiscal discipline. According to the government, cases of non-compliance have continued despite those earlier measures.
Under the new arrangement, official foreign trips by ministers, permanent secretaries, heads of ministries, departments and agencies, boards, committees and other government appointees must receive prior OSGF approval unless the trip is expressly authorised by law or a specific presidential directive.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been directed to make the approval part of the documentation required for official travel. The ministry is also expected to communicate the requirement to foreign missions and embassies accredited to Nigeria, giving them an additional mechanism for verifying whether government officials seeking official, diplomatic or service visas have received the necessary authorisation.
The government has also tied the new travel controls directly to public expenditure. The Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation is expected to check evidence of OSGF approval during audits of government-funded foreign trips. Expenditure incurred on unauthorised travel will be subject to scrutiny under applicable financial regulations.
Accounting officers, permanent secretaries, chief executive officers and heads of government agencies have likewise been instructed not to process public funds for official foreign travel where the required approval has not been obtained. This means the policy is not simply an administrative requirement for travellers but also places responsibility on officials who authorise or finance such trips.
The breadth of the circular is significant. It was circulated to ministers and ministers of state, the Head of the Civil Service, security chiefs, the Central Bank of Nigeria, anti-corruption agencies, electoral bodies, financial institutions and heads of government-owned companies, among others. Directors-general and chief executives of federal parastatals and agencies are also covered.
The fake-agency controversy has given the new rules added significance because the purported PFIPC was not merely a disputed name on paper. The 2026 Appropriation Act actually contained a budget line combining the Presidential Economic Advisory Council and the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, with an allocation of about ₦1.303 billion. The Budget Office later told lawmakers that although the National Assembly had approved the allocation, no money had been released or spent because the statutory conditions for accessing the funds were not met.
The House investigation also found that the alleged appointment documents presented by Adeyemi were not authentic, while the Head of the Civil Service acknowledged that her office had not carried out sufficient due diligence before relying on documents that appeared genuine. She subsequently promised to strengthen verification procedures.
Adeyemi has denied responsibility for preparing the controversial agency's budget and has made allegations against senior government officials, including Chief of Staff to the President Femi Gbajabiamila. Those allegations have been denied, and the wider matter remains subject to investigation and legal proceedings. They should therefore not be treated as established facts.
For the Federal Government, the immediate challenge will be enforcement. Nigeria has had several rules governing official foreign travel, yet the latest circular itself acknowledges that non-compliance has persisted. The effectiveness of the new measure will therefore depend less on the existence of another directive and more on whether government agencies consistently refuse unauthorised travel requests, withhold related public funds and properly audit officials who breach the rules.
The policy could also improve transparency over who is travelling abroad on behalf of the Nigerian government and under what authority. More importantly, it creates a clearer documentary trail linking an official trip to government approval and public expenditure, potentially making it easier to identify unauthorised representations of the Federal Government.
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