BREAKING: Tinubu To Spend ₦7 Billion On International Travels In 2025 Only

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is billed to spend the sum of ₦6.1 billion for international travel in 2025.

Naija News reports that this figure was revealed in the approved budget for 2025.

Additionally, the budget designates ₦873 million for domestic travel, resulting in a combined total of ₦7 billion for both international and local travel expenses.

Also, Vice President Kashim Shettima is projected to spend ₦1.314 billion on international travel, along with ₦417.488 million for local travel in the same period.

Naija News reports that this information emerges amidst rising concerns regarding the financial implications of the President’s travel, particularly given Nigeria’s economic difficulties and constrained revenue streams.

In a report earlier, SaharaReporters examined data from the Open Treasury Portal, revealing that the Tinubu administration expended ₦36 billion on international travel in 2024.

The expenditure breakdown from the State House Headquarters indicated that ₦12.2 billion was earmarked for “international travel and transport (training),” while ₦24.19 billion was allocated for “international travel and transport (other).”

Overall, the State House’s total expenditure on international travel for the 2024 fiscal year amounted to ₦36.3 billion.

Local travel and transportation expenses were considerable, with ₦15.8 billion designated for “local travel and transport (training)” and ₦31.2 billion for “local travel and transport (other).” In total, the overall spending on both local and international travel reached ₦83 billion, as reported by the Open Treasury Portal.

Recall also that President Tinubu, accompanied by his wife, Oluremi, and other senior government officials, had recently traveled to France.

In light of concerns regarding the presidency’s travel costs, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, defended these international trips, asserting that President Tinubu should engage in even more overseas travel.

During a live interview on Channels TV, Ambassador Tuggar stressed that Nigeria possesses adequate resources to facilitate additional travel for the President and his cabinet members.

The Minister underscored the “positive impact” of President Tinubu’s international journeys, highlighting their significant contributions to Nigeria’s economy.

He cited an instance where President Tinubu secured $2 million in investments during a trip to Brazil, aimed at enhancing the livestock sector and addressing issues such as the herders-farmers conflict.

“Other nations are vying for these investments, but President Tinubu successfully obtained them for Nigeria,” he stated.

In August 2024, SaharaReporters disclosed that President Tinubu had incurred an astonishing expenditure of ₦2.3 billion on international travel and associated costs within a mere six-month timeframe.

Information from the GovSpend platform, as reported by the BudgIT Foundation, indicated that from February 21 to July 19, 2024, the total expenses for the President’s foreign trips amounted to ₦2,346,623,000.

During this period, the State House Headquarters in Abuja executed multiple payments for presidential travel, including ₦300 million in January 2024, ₦250 million in February, and various payments exceeding ₦9 million on March 15, 2024.

Further expenditures for presidential trips were recorded throughout the year, with substantial amounts disbursed in May and July, including notable payments of ₦350 million in both months.

Additionally, between February 24 and March 15, 2024, the government allocated over ₦2.9 billion for foreign exchange to facilitate travel for President Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, and First Lady Oluremi Tinubu to countries such as Ethiopia, Switzerland, Liberia, France, Côte d’Ivoire, among others.