Several ministries and agencies under President Bola Tinubu’s administration reportedly spent over ₦1.8 billion on air tickets, estacodes, and duty tour allowances between July and September 2024.
This data, sourced from GovSpend, highlights concerns over the government’s spending priorities amid the ongoing economic difficulties faced by Nigeria.
The expenses cover various ministries, including the Federal Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Police Affairs, the Ministry of Youth Development, and the Ministry of Women Affairs.
Additionally, the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, the Office of the Auditor General, the Office of the Secretary to the Government, the Technical Aid Corps, and the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy were involved.
Agencies such as the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) also contributed to this substantial expenditure.
According to Punch, between July and September 26, 2024, the ministries and agencies spent ₦755,884,949.44 on Duty Tour Allowances and ₦1,044,858,941.48 on air tickets, foreign trips, and estacodes, totaling ₦1,800,743,930.92. Among the highest spenders were the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy with ₦322 million, the Ministry of Finance with ₦187.2 million, ICPC with ₦150 million, and the Ministry of Petroleum Resources with ₦108 million.
In March 2024, President Bola Tinubu had issued a three-month ban on publicly funded trips for ministers and heads of agencies, aiming to cut down on rising international travel expenses and refocus attention on their mandates. However, despite the ban, some ministries reportedly spent as much as ₦21 million on travel-related expenses within days of its expiration.
Debo Adeniran, Chairman of the Centre for Accountability and Open Leadership, criticized the expenditures as “wasteful” during tough economic times. He acknowledged the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy as a new and essential ministry but argued that other ministries, such as the Ministry of Women Affairs, should not be spending large sums on foreign trips.
Okechukwu Nwaguma, Executive Director of the Rule of Law Accountability and Advocacy Centre, described the spending as a “misallocation of government resources” and called for a review of government spending practices to ensure funds are used effectively for the nation’s benefit.
Similarly, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative and Advocacy Centre, expressed concern that these foreign travels had not resulted in the anticipated foreign direct investments (FDI) for Nigeria.