The Nigerian government spent N37.64 billion on presidential travel, logistics, foreign currency and travel expenses between June 2023 and April 2026, according to an analysis by GovSpend, a public spending tracker developed by BudgIT.
The disclosures coincide with President Bola Tinubu’s departure from Abuja for Europe on a three-week annual holiday, with London as his first stop.
Official travel records indicate that President Tinubu has spent about 261 days outside the country on 51 foreign trips, visiting at least 30 nations since taking office on May 29, 2023.
A breakdown of travel-related spending shows that the Presidency spent N9.18 billion in the second half of 2023, N25.26 billion in 2024, N2.7 billion in 2025 and N477.4 million between January and April 2026.
Spending peaked in 2024, driven mainly by foreign-currency allocations and operational funding for the presidential air fleet.
The documents also show that $553,884 in foreign currency, valued at N700.7 million at the applicable exchange rate, was released for foreign trips involving First Lady Oluremi Tinubu between 2023 and 2024.
Responding to the findings, Transparency and Accountability Group chairman Ayo Ologun questioned the legal basis for funding the First Lady’s official foreign travel.
“Given that her office is not recognised by law, if it is established that public money was spent on purported official trips, the question should be: what is her mandate?” Ologun said. “If that money is being spent on the president’s wife, it is an abuse of power.”
Credit: LIB
