Abuja, Aug. 18, 2024 – President Bola Tinubu has directed Femi Gbajabiamila, his Chief of Staff, to reduce the size of Nigeria’s official delegation to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) meetings in New York, United States.
Gbajabiamila disclosed this at a one-day retreat organised by the State House for heads of government agencies under its supervision in Abuja.
He said the decision to streamline Nigeria’s delegation to the 79th session of UNGA in September was part of the administration’s commitment to ensuring prudent management of resources and reduce the cost of governance.
”I just discussed this with the President this afternoon. In the next few weeks, we are going to see a test of this policy during UNGA in New York.
”During recent protests, there were talks about reduction in the cost of governance. Everyone is waiting to see if Nigeria, as in the past, will send the ‘largest delegation’ to UNGA.
”I have received a directive from Mr. President that this time, we will be strict. If you have no business at the UN General Assembly, do not step foot in America, and this is a directive from Mr. President,” he said.
Gbajabiamila advised heads of agencies at the retreat to comply strictly, adding that the President was listening to the concerns of Nigerians and was committed to addressing them diligently.
”The idea is to ensure coherence as we jointly work together to achieve the objectives of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
”Coordination is not just a choice, but a necessity for the government to succeed and for us to meet the expectations of the Nigerian people.”
”We must demonstrate excellence in our compliance with the Public Procurement Act, Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria Act, the Finance Act, and various appropriation acts in operation.
”Compliance with the civil service rules and the scheme of service guidelines, especially regarding recruitment, promotion and presidential approvals is also non-negotiable,” Gbajabiamila said.
