The Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has announced the immediate suspension of foreign travel by government officials for the rest of the year.

This, he said, was part of a broader initiative to allocate state resources towards critical projects across various sectors.

In a statement released by the governor’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, on Monday in Osogbo, Adeleke said the need to prioritize essential state projects.

He noted that while the suspension of foreign trips is in effect, exceptions may be made in the case of a direct emergency authorized by him.

The directive to suspend foreign trips for government officials was reached during the State Executive Council meeting held on Monday.

The statement reads “Foreign trips for top officials for the rest of the year is hereby suspended unless there is a direct emergency to be authorized by the Governor. The Governor directed the immediate suspension of foreign travel by top officials. He urged the application of virtual meetings for attendance and participation at international business and investment events. We must sustain the momentum of our service delivery by avoiding excessive spending on recurrent and overheads.”

Adeleke stressed the importance of financial prudence and called for due diligence in the budget preparation process.

He acknowledged the state’s limited resources and the need for government officials to make personal sacrifices in the face of the state’s challenging financial situation:

“Our needs from office to accommodation are much, but our resources are limited. So we have to devise a coping mechanism pending the time our funding situation will improve.”