Ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) of the Federal Government, alongside the Presidency, spent at least N1.99 billion on foreign trips, training and estacodes in France between May 2023 and September 2024, according to the PUNCH report.
The findings are based on an analysis of data from GovSpend, a transparency platform by BudgIT that tracks public expenditure.
The funds covered airfare, hotel accommodation, visa processing, estacodes, training programmes and business meetings.
A substantial portion was spent on executive training programmes, study trips and international conferences.
One of the largest single expenses was N626.91 million, paid by the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta for the training and type rating of 35 cadet pilots in South Africa, France and Nigeria.
The funds were transferred from the GIFMIS platform to the PAP Naira Transit Account at the Central Bank of Nigeria.l (CBN).
The State House also recorded heavy spending on foreign trips, including N149.7 million for foreign exchange purchases for the First Lady’s trip to France on 1 April 2024. Another N6.29 million was allocated in March 2024 for the processing of a five-year multiple-entry visa for the Vice President.
Several MDAs incurred significant expenses on overseas trips. The National Merit Award spent N15.5 million as an advance payment for course fees for eight participants in a Paris training programme from 14 to 20 May 2023.
The Centre for Management Development spent N34.3 million for six of its officials, each receiving N5.71 million, to attend training in France.
Some top officials were also beneficiaries of these foreign trips. The Director-General of the Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi, Adamu Jummai, and the former Director-General of the National Directorate of Employment, Nuhu Fikpo, were among those whose trips were fully funded for executive programmes in Paris.
The Nigeria Communications Satellite Limited spent N41.09 million on multiple officials, including the Technical Adviser to the NIGCOMSAT CEO, Temitope Yoosuf, for business meetings with Airbus in Toulouse, France.
Jane Egerton-Idehen, its Chief Executive Officer, and Aisha Bantam, Head of Corporate Affairs at NIGCOMSAT, were also funded with N11.88 million and N5.65 million, respectively, to attend the World Space Business Week in Paris.
The Nigeria Football Federation spent N124.45 million on flight tickets for Super Falcons players travelling between America, France, Spain and Nigeria for their Olympic Games qualifier against Ethiopia.
Other notable payments include N10.62 million by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission for airfare for three officials attending the G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group meeting in Paris.
The Fiscal Responsibility Commission also paid N7.90 million for an officer to attend the 2023 International Bar Association Conference in France.
The Federal Ministry of Health paid N5.30 million each for David Beine Atuwo and Olusola Ayoola to participate in the 11th EDCTP Forum in France, covering airfare and conference participation.
The Defence Intelligence Agency made two significant payments, totalling N574.52m, for the salaries of two seconded staff of the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit at Interpol in Lyon, France, and Egmont Group in Ottawa, Canada.
The spending comes amid growing concerns over government expenditure and the rising cost of governance.
With the economy grappling with high inflation, fiscal deficits and a weakening naira, there have been calls for greater accountability and transparency in public spending.
The PUNCH earlier observed that in President Tinubu’s first six months in office, specifically between June and December 2023, the State House spent not less than N3.4 billion on both his local and foreign travels.
Similarly, in the first three months of 2024, a total of N5.24 billion was spent by the State House on local and foreign travel expenses of the trio of Tinubu, Shettima and First Lady Remi Tinubu.
A sum of N1.35 billion was spent as provision for presidential trips and other related expenses between January and March, N3.53 billion was expended for the purchase of foreign currencies during 10 international trips, and N637.85 million was disbursed to two travel agencies for the purchase of air tickets for presidential local and foreign trips.
It was also reported that major opposition parties have faulted President Tinubu’s frequent travel abroad. According to them, the President is more interested in globetrotting than addressing pressing issues in the country.
But the presidency said a leader who sought to bring foreign investments couldn’t afford to sit back when the harvest was out there.
A few months ago, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, justified President Bola Tinubu’s frequent travel abroad, saying he needs to embark on more trips because of its inherent benefits.
When reminded that Nigeria doesn’t have the money required for such frequent trips, the minister disagreed.
‘Nigeria has the money. How much does travelling cost compared to the benefits? Again, how much does it cost really when you compare it to some of the things that the President has already addressed?
‘How much have we wasted on fuel, electricity and other subsidies? He was subsidising consumption instead of production and subsidising the real sector of the economy’, he said.
In the past 21 months in office, Tinubu has visited about 19 countries on 32 foreign trips.
Among the countries visited were Paris, France; Malabo, Equatorial Guinea; London, the United Kingdom; Bissau, Guinea-Bissau; Nairobi, Kenya; Porto Norvo, Benin Republic; The Hague, Netherlands; Pretoria, South Africa; Accra, Ghana.
Others included New Delhi, India; Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates; New York, the United States of America; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Berlin, Germany; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Dakar, Senegal; and Doha, Qatar.
