Reps probe FG circular restricting foreign trips for lawmakers
The House of Representatives is investigating a Federal Government circular requiring prior approval for lawmakers’ official foreign trips over its implica Read More:…
The National Assembly operates as a separate arm of government under Nigeria's constitutional separation of powers, and lawmakers have historically organised their own official travel, including foreign trips for conferences, bilateral engagements and oversight visits, through processes managed internally or by their leadership. A directive from the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) requiring executive sign-off before such trips proceed raises questions about the boundaries between the executive and legislative arms, and whether such a circular amounts to oversight of legislative independence or a reasonable cost-control and coordination measure given Nigeria's tight fiscal situation and recurring criticism of lawmakers' foreign travel expenses.
The three reports agree that the House has pushed back against the circular and tasked its committees with investigating the matter, but differ slightly in framing: Tribune and Punch describe the House's move as resistance to the directive, while Vanguard centres the story on the SGF's role and names the specific committees involved — Public Service Matters and Legislative Compliance. None of the reports yet detail when the circular was issued, its full content, or what outcome the committees' probe is expected to produce, leaving open questions about whether the restriction will be upheld, modified or rescinded.