Between July and September 2024, ministries and agencies within President Bola Tinubu’s administration have reportedly spent over N1.8 billion on air travel, estacodes, and Duty Tour Allowances (DTAs), as revealed by data from GovSpend.
The PUNCH reports that the expenditures involved several ministries, including the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Police Affairs, Ministry of Youth Development, Ministry of Women Affairs, Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, the Office of the Auditor General, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Technical Aid Corps, Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission.
The breakdown indicates that N755.88 million was spent on DTAs, with an additional N1.04 billion allocated for air tickets and estacodes for international trips, totaling N1.8 billion over the three-month period.
Among the highest expenditures were the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, which spent N322 million; the Ministry of Finance with N187.2 million; the ICPC at N150 million; and the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, which incurred costs of N108 million.
This spending comes in the wake of a three-month ban on government-funded travel that President Tinubu had imposed in April 2024.
The ban, communicated through a letter from the President’s Chief of Staff on March 2, 2024, aimed to reduce rising travel expenses and refocus ministers on their core responsibilities. However, the ban lapsed in June, leading to a resumption of spending shortly thereafter.
Debo Adenira, Chairman of the Centre for Accountability and Open Leadership, criticized the expenditures as extravagant.
He stated, “We have urged the government to avoid wasteful spending during these austere times. While we can excuse the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy for its expenses as it is new and still adapting, other ministries, such as the Ministry of Women Affairs, have long been operational and should exercise better judgment.”
Okechukwu Nwaguma, Executive Director of the Rule of Law Accountability and Advocacy Centre, supported these concerns, noting that the expenditures signify “a misallocation of government resources” and called for more stringent policies governing travel and spending.
Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative and Advocacy Centre, expressed disappointment that these trips have not resulted in significant foreign investment for Nigeria, emphasizing the need for effective utilization of public funds for the nation’s benefit.
Attempts to reach government officials for comments were unsuccessful.
The Director of Information and Public Relations for the Ministry of Finance, Mohammed Manga, was unavailable, while Olujimi Oyetomi, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, declined to comment.
(PUNCH Metro)
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