Tinubu’s ministers, agencies spend N1.8bn on air travel

Several ministries and agencies under the present administration of President Bola Tinubu, have spent no less than N1.8bn on air tickets, estacodes, and duty tour allowances between July and September 2024, according to data sourced from GovSpend.

Some of the ministries and agencies include the Federal Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Police Affairs, the Ministry of Youth Development, the Ministry of Women Affairs, the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

Others include the Technical Aid Corps, the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission.

Checks by our correspondent showed that the ministries and agencies spent N755,884,949.44 on Duty Tour Allowances and another N1,044,858,941.48 on estacodes and air tickets and foreign trips, totalling N1,800,743,930.92 spent between July and September 26, 2024.

Among the biggest spenders are the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, which spent N322m; the Ministry of Finance with a total spending of N187.2m; the ICPC with N150m; and the Ministry of Petroleum Resources with N108m all in the space of three months.

Recall that the President, Bola Tinubu, had placed a three-month ban on publicly-funded trips for Ministers and heads of agencies beginning April 1 2024, in a letter dated March 2 2024, from the Office of the President’s Chief of Staff.

The letter explained that the ban aimed to reduce the rise in expenses incurred by MDAs on international travel and ensure that the ministers and heads of agencies were focused on their respective mandates.

While the ban period has elapsed, our correspondent found that some ministries incurred as much as N21m in expenses for travel tickets and estacodes within days.

Speaking on the development, the Chairman of the Centre for Accountability and Open Leadership, Debo Adeniran, described the figures as “a wasteful expenditure,” saying, “We have advised the government that during these austere times, they should implement their policy that government officials should not spend on frivolities. We can even excuse the Ministry of Blue Economy because it is new, we are just learning about Blue Economy and how to make it work for us.

“But some other ministries have been operating for ages, and most Nigerians know what they are supposed to do and what they should not do. So, there is no reason for the Ministry of Women Affairs and several of them like that to spend so much on foreign trips and seminars.”

The Executive Director of the Rule of Law Accountability and Advocacy Centre, Okechukwu Nwaguma, described the spending as “a misallocation of government resources”, adding that the development underscored the need for stringent policies regarding travel and expenditure by government officials.

“These expenditures should prompt a re-evaluation of government spending practices and policies to ensure that public funds are used effectively and in the best interest of the populace.”

Also, the Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative and Advocacy Centre, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, lamented that the travels had not attracted needed foreign direct investments to the country.

The Director of Information and Public Relations for the Ministry of Finance, Mohammed Manga, could also not be reached as his phone was switched off, while the Director of Press and Public Relations in the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, Olujimi Oyetomi, declined calls from our correspondent.