Nigeria downgrades high-flying civil servants

High-flying Nigerian civil servants who travel business or first class cost the country so much they are to be downgraded and the savings funnelled into capital projects, an official said Wednesday.

"In the past, some government officials who should have been in business class usually travelled first class, while many others travelled business class instead of economy," finance ministry spokesman Festus Akanbi said.

"Such large savings from travel, which should ordinarily not be a major expense item for the government, will become available for investment in capital projects," he added.

Government officials will also be encouraged to hold conferences and meetings in their own regions to cut down on flights and be required to seek permission from the federal government to host events overseas, Akanbi said.