President Bola Tinubu issued an order on Saturday to lower the size of Nigeria’s official delegation to the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, which will be held in New York, United States, in September.
Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, revealed the directive on Saturday in Abuja at a one-day retreat organized by State House management for heads of government institutions under its supervision.
The one-day retreat focused on ‘Strengthening Institutional Mechanisms for Effective Delivery.’ Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, issued a statement titled “President Tinubu directs that only authorized officials with business at UNGA should attend.”
Addressing the retreat attendees, the Chief of Staff stated, “During recent protests, there were discussions about reducing the cost of governance. Everyone is waiting to see if Nigeria, like in the past, will send the ‘biggest delegation’ to the UNGA.
“Based on our experience, we know that some people take advantage of international gatherings to do personal business. “I received a command from Mr. President that this time we will be severe. If you have no business at the UN General Assembly, do not visit America; this is a command from Mr. President.”
He stated that the decision to downsize Nigeria’s delegation to the UN General Assembly in September is part of the administration’s commitment to ensuring smart resource management and lowering governance costs.
“I just spoke with the President this afternoon.” “We will see a test of this policy in the coming weeks at the UNGA in New York,” he added
The Chief of Staff asked heads of agencies at the retreat to rigorously comply, noting that the President is listening to Nigerians’ issues and is determined to addressing them thoroughly.
References and Citations
- Punch – Tinubu slashes Nigeria’s delegation to UN General Assembly
- Nairametrics – Tinubu slashes Nigeria’s delegation to UN general
- TVC News – President Tinubu Slashes Nigeria’s Delegation To UN
- The Sun – Cut cost of governance, slash UNGA delegation size
