Between January and March 2024, President Bola Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, and First Lady Remi Tinubu utilized a combined sum of at least N5.24 billion for both local and international travel.

Analysis of the travel expenses, as tracked by GovSpend, a civic tech platform monitoring the Federal Government’s expenditure, revealed that N1.35 billion was allocated for presidential trips and related costs. Additionally, N3.53 billion was spent on foreign exchange during 10 international trips, while N637.85 million was disbursed to two travel agencies for air ticket procurement for the local and foreign presidential trips.

Notably, the payments, channeled through the State House transit account, did not cover the President’s entourage estacodes. Meanwhile, an additional N12.59 billion was expended on maintaining the presidential air fleet during the same period.

Within six months of taking office, the President had already allocated N3.4 billion for these trips, surpassing the N2.49 billion budgeted for travel expenses in 2023 by 36%.

This accumulation resulted in a total expenditure of N8.64 billion on local and international travels between June 2023 and March 2024. In addition, the President received N650 million as an honorarium.

Concerns from Nigerians regarding the frequency of the President’s travels persist, with calls for tangible outcomes from these trips. Tinubu and Shettima collectively visited 16 countries and spent a total of 91 days engaged in foreign activities within their first seven months in office.

Tinubu’s travels covered multiple destinations including Paris, London, Bissau, Nairobi, Porto Novo, New Delhi, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, New York, Riyadh, and Berlin, amounting to 55 days. Meanwhile, Shettima represented Tinubu in Italy, Russia, South Africa, Cuba, China, and the US, accumulating 36 days abroad in 2023.

Financial expert Olorunfemi Idris highlighted the potential benefits of presidential trips in fostering diplomatic ties, promoting national interests, and attracting foreign investments. Despite these advantages, he cautioned against the high costs that could divert funds from critical sectors like healthcare, education, and infrastructure development.

Professor of Economics Cletus Agu emphasized the importance of judicious expenditure and highlighted that if the spending contributes positively to the economy, it can be justified. Economist Dr. Akin Akinleye called for a review of extraneous expenses in light of the country’s economic challenges, stressing the need to prioritize activities with significant economic returns.