In the first half of 2024, governors from 32 states in Nigeria collectively spent N69.71 billion on travel, including both local and international trips. This figure highlights a trend of government officials choosing to take annual vacations abroad, with President Bola Tinubu currently enjoying a two-week break in the United Kingdom.
An investigation by Sunday PUNCH revealed that three governors—Seyi Makinde of Oyo, Babagana Zulum of Borno, and Dikko Radda of Katsina—each spent up to 90 days overseas for their annual leave.
Budget implementation reports sourced from Open Nigerian States, a platform supported by BudgiT that provides public budget data, indicate that travel expenditures for government officials rose significantly from N34.63 billion in the first quarter of 2024 to N69.71 billion in the second quarter.
Despite these substantial travel costs, only Lagos, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and Ekiti managed to attract capital investment during the first quarter of 2024, as reported by the National Bureau of Statistics. The results for the second quarter are still pending publication.
Lagos led the way in capital importation, drawing in $2.78 billion—representing 82.42% of the total $3.38 billion imported into Nigeria during that period. Abuja followed with $593.58 million (17.58%), while Ekiti managed just $0.01 million. Notably, 34 states failed to attract any capital importation at all during this timeframe.
A closer look at travel expenditures reveals that Governor Makinde, who recorded the highest foreign trip spending of N11.57 billion from January to June, did not bring in any foreign investors. Similarly, Governors Zulum and Radda spent N1.96 billion and N1.94 billion respectively on travel without securing foreign investment for their states.
The foreign travel costs of various state governors are as follows: Ebonyi (N1.85 billion), Ekiti (N3.75 billion), Taraba (N6.39 billion), Delta (N1.98 billion), Cross River (N2.31 billion), Bayelsa (N1.66 billion), Bauchi (N1.06 billion), Anambra (N316.42 million), Akwa Ibom (N640.84 million), Adamawa (N1.72 billion), Abia (N280.02 million), Edo (N5.49 billion), Enugu (N28.46 million), Imo (N1.22 billion), Gombe (N1.45 billion), Jigawa (N984 million), Kaduna (N1.01 billion), Kano (N2.89 billion), and Katsina (N1.94 billion).
For other states, travel expenses included: Kogi (N911.27 million), Kebbi (N2.74 billion), Kwara (N1.91 billion), Nasarawa (N1.83 billion), Lagos (N945.62 million), Niger (N725.02 million), Ondo (N1.12 billion), Sokoto (N1.41 billion), Plateau (N2.99 billion), Yobe (N3.01 billion), and Zamfara (N1.57 billion). Notably, Benue, Rivers, and Ogun states lack data for the second quarter of 2024.
The absence of foreign investment in these states aligns with a broader decline in investments across Nigeria, attributed to insecurity and other challenges, despite the current administration claiming to have attracted $30 billion in Foreign Direct Investments.
Professor Jonathan Aremu, a consultant for the ECOWAS Common Investment Market, commented on the lack of foreign investments in these states, attributing it to the absence of appealing factors for investors. “Investment is crisis-shy and seeks stability and predictability,” he stated, emphasizing that attractive investment conditions are crucial for drawing foreign capital.
