Presidency Plans ₦6.1 Billion Foreign Travel Budget For 2026
By NJORIGE LYNUS
Foreign Trips, Jets and SUVs: Examining the Presidency’s ₦6.1 Billion Travel Budget
A Costly Line Item
AS Nigeria grapples with inflation, subsidy reforms and rising living costs, details from the 2026 Appropriation Bill show that foreign travel remains a major expense for the Presidency. President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima are projected to spend over ₦6.1 billion on international trips alone next year.
Budget records indicate ₦6.14 billion is allocated to the President’s foreign travels, while ₦1.31 billion is reserved for the Vice President.
State House Operations in Focus
The travel costs are embedded within ₦8.38 billion and ₦2.64 billion operational envelopes for the President and Vice President respectively. Analysts note that State House Operations continue to consume significant public funds despite repeated calls for leaner governance.
Powering the Villa Amid Grid Failures
In another notable provision, the Presidency plans to spend ₦7 billion to solarise the Presidential Villa. The move reflects growing frustration with Nigeria’s unstable power grid, which has suffered multiple collapses in recent years.
While renewable energy advocates welcome the initiative, critics question why similar investments are not prioritised for public hospitals, schools and other critical infrastructure.
Expensive Mobility
The 2026 budget further allocates ₦3.3 billion for vehicles and associated logistics. This includes hundreds of millions for SUVs, operational cars and tyres for bulletproof vehicles, ambulances and official convoys.
The expenditure underscores the high cost of maintaining the presidency’s transport fleet.
Air Fleet, Maintenance and Liabilities
A staggering ₦283.85 billion is budgeted for presidential air fleet logistics and management. In addition, ₦4.23 billion is set aside for maintenance of State House infrastructure, while ₦8.35 billion will be used to clear outstanding obligations to Julius Berger.
Public Interest and Parliamentary Oversight
The Senate has already passed the budget for second reading, with committees expected to interrogate these allocations further. Civil society groups argue that transparency and justification will be key as Nigerians assess whether such spending aligns with economic realities.
