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The negative impact of falling oil prices on the country’s revenue stream has forced the federal government to place an embargo on foreign training and international travel for public servants.
This was announced on Thursday by Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HoS), Mr. Danladi Kifasi, in a statement signed by the Assistant Director (Media Relations), Office of the HoS, Mr. Mohammed Manga.
Kifasi in a circular titled: “Restrictions on Foreign Trainings and International Travels by Public Servants,” issued to all ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), said that government had embarked on a number of measures to help manage the situation.
According to him, the move has become necessary to introduce a number of cost-saving measures.
One of such measures according to him, is an embargo on foreign trainings and international travels by public servants in all MDAs, including all parastatals beginning from January 2015.
The Head of Service who listed in the circular some guidelines/instructions which shall be applied before any public officer shall travel out of the country on government expense stated further that “proposals for participation or attendance of international conferences, seminars, workshops, study tours, trainings, presentations of papers, negotiating/signing of Memoranda of Understating (MoU) abroad at government expense, shall no longer be allowed except those that are fully funded by sponsoring/invitation organizations.”
Kifasi further stated that no ministry, extra-ministerial office, department, agency or parastatals would send staff outside Nigeria for training at government expense whether or not that agency draws funds from the federal government budget or meets its financial needs from revenue generated by itself.
He stated that “Public servants invited for foreign trainings/study tour, conferences by any organization, government or other bilateral/multilateral organisation will be allowed to travel provided that no travel cost, estercode application or any other cost on government is involved.”
The HoS said local training would continue and, where necessary, foreign experts may be invited to conduct trainings for which there are no local experts and requests for international travels is essential and strategic cases must be strictly justified with evidence of sources of funding.
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