Oil price slash takes toll

As a fall-out of the falling oil prices in the international market
and dwindling revenue, the Federal Government yesterday
embargoed international travels and foreign training with
immediate effect.
Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mr. Danladi Kifasi,
in a circular titled, “Restrictions on foreign trainings and
international travels by public servants,” issued to all
Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) said it was
necessary to introduce a number of cost-saving measures
following the recent development in the international oil
market that has affected the revenue stream of government.
Kifasi said the government has embarked on a number of
measures to help manage the situation. One of them,
according to him, is an embargo on foreign trainings and
international travels by public servants in all Ministries,
Departments and Agencies (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 also
said “proposals for participation or attendance of international
conferences, seminars, workshops, study tours, trainings,
presentations of papers, negotiating/signing of Memoranda of
Understanding (MOU) abroad at government expense, shall no
longer be allowed except those that are fully funded by
sponsoring /invitation organizations.”
The circular states that no ministry, extra-ministerial office,
department, agency or parastatals shall 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.
It says that public servants invited for foreign trainings/study
tour, conferences by any organization, government or other
bilateral/multilateral organization will be allowed to travel
provided that no travel cost, Estacode application or any other
cost on government is involved.
Mr. Kifasi said local training will continue and, where
necessary, foreign experts may be invited to conduct trainings
for which there are no local experts and requests for
international travels are essential and strategic cases must be
strictly justified with evidence of sources of funding.