Tinubu’s Foreign Trips, Logistics Cost N37.64bn as Travels Hit 52

• Presidency spent N37.64bn on trips, logistics. Expenditure covered June 2023 to April 2026, with 2024 accounting for N25.27bn, driven largely by forex and air fleet funding.

• Tinubu’s foreign trips hit 52 since 2023. The President has visited about 30 countries, spending roughly 261 days outside Nigeria, with his latest three-week European vacation underway.

• First Lady’s trips attract N700.7m forex. Records show $553,884 was released for trips, covering the US, Mozambique, Ethiopia, the UK and France, between 2023 and 2024.

• Atiku attacks Tinubu over latest vacation. The opposition leader says Nigeria is facing crises, while the Presidency defends the leave as necessary for the President to “refuel” after months of work.

August 31, () — The Presidency spent N37.64 billion on presidential trips, logistics, foreign-exchange transactions and other travel-related expenses between June 2023 and April 2026, according to an analysis of government expenditure records.

The disclosure comes as President Bola Tinubu begins a three-week vacation in Europe, amid criticism from opposition figures over the timing of the trip and renewed questions about the cost of presidential travels.

Tinubu departed Abuja on Sunday for the vacation, which the Presidency described as part of his annual leave and a “working vacation”.

His first destination is London, United Kingdom, according to a statement issued on Sunday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

The latest trip comes as the Tinubu administration approaches a critical phase of its tenure, with political activities expected to intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections.

N37.64bn spent on presidential travels

An analysis of records from GovSpend, a public-expenditure accountability platform, showed that the Presidency spent N37,639,227,853.51 on presidential trips and other related travel expenses between June 2023 and April 2026.

The expenditure comprised N9,185,966,339.75 in the second half of 2023, N25,269,969,240.92 in 2024, N2,705,843,328.38 in 2025 and N477,448,944.46 between January and April 2026.

The highest expenditure was recorded in 2024, when more than N25.26 billion was spent. The spending was driven largely by foreign-exchange allocations and substantial funding for the Presidential Air Fleet.

In 2023, spending began shortly after Tinubu assumed office, with several payments made on June 23 totalling more than N150 million for “presidential trips and other related expenses.”

In July, the Presidential Air Fleet received N846.03 million and N674.82 million in foreign-exchange transit funding.

August recorded transactions including N152.37 million for $200,000, N228.55 million for $300,000 and N146.65 million for $315,300, alongside a direct N250 million travel expense.

The Presidential Air Fleet also received N2 billion and N713.22 million in foreign-exchange funding during the month.

By September, the State House processed four separate N197.69 million foreign-exchange transactions, each linked to $1 million allocations for presidential trips.

In November and December, notable payments included N114.24 million to Hinterland Travel & Tours Limited for flight tickets.

The N37.64 billion figure covers transactions only up to April 2026 and therefore does not include expenditure associated with Tinubu’s May 2026 foreign engagements or the latest three-week European vacation.

Tinubu’s Foreign Trips Hit 52

The travel expenditure has coincided with an extensive foreign itinerary by the President. Available travel records show that Tinubu has now undertaken 52 foreign trips, visited about 30 countries and spent approximately 261 days outside Nigeria since assuming office.

France has been among his most frequent destinations, followed by London and the United Arab Emirates.

His international engagements have included official state visits, multilateral summits, bilateral meetings, investment engagements, diplomatic functions and working or private vacations.

Tinubu’s first foreign trip as President was to Paris, France, from June 20 to 24, 2023, where he attended the Summit for a New Global Financial Pact.

He subsequently travelled to Guinea-Bissau for an ECOWAS summit and Kenya for the African Union mid-year coordination meeting.

In August 2023, he visited the Republic for its Independence Anniversary. He travelled to India and the UAE in September for the G20 Leaders’ Summit before proceeding to the United States for the 78th United Nations General Assembly in New York.

His 2023 itinerary also included Germany for the G20 Compact with Africa conference, Saudi Arabia for the Saudi-Africa Summit and Guinea-Bissau for its 50th independence anniversary.

He returned to France in November for a state visit before travelling to Dubai for COP28.

In 2024, Tinubu spent about two weeks in France between January 24 and February 6 before travelling to Ethiopia for the African Union summit.

He subsequently visited Qatar, Senegal, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Chad, South Africa, Ghana, Equatorial Guinea, China, France and the United Kingdom.

His China trip from August 29 to September 6 included participation in the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, while a subsequent UK visit featured an engagement with King Charles III.

In 2025, Tinubu travelled to Ghana, the UAE, Tanzania, France, Ethiopia, the United Kingdom, Vatican City, Saint Lucia, Brazil and Japan, among other destinations.

He attended the inauguration of Ghanaian President John Mahama, Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week and the Mission 300 Africa Energy Summit.

He also travelled to Vatican City for the inaugural Mass of Pope Leo XIV, followed by a state visit to Saint Lucia and engagements in Brazil.

The President later travelled to Japan for the TICAD9 summit and Brazil for a state visit, followed by a working vacation in France and the United Kingdom.

He departed Lagos on December 28, 2025, for an end-of-year break in France that continued into January 2026.

2026 travels

Tinubu began 2026 with an extended period abroad. Records indicate that he spent about 22 days outside Nigeria in January, including part of his end-of-year break in France, a visit to the UAE for Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week and a state visit to Türkiye from January 26 to 31.

The Türkiye visit was the President’s 47th foreign trip according to the travel tally at the time.

During the visit, Tinubu met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, with both countries witnessing the signing of nine agreements covering trade, energy, media and higher education.

In March, Tinubu made a state visit to the United Kingdom, where a £746 million deal was announced to modernise the Apapa and Tin Can ports.

In May, he embarked on another international tour covering France, Kenya and Rwanda. He departed Abuja on May 2 for France before proceeding to Nairobi for the Africa-France Summit.

He later visited Kenya from May 11 to 13 for the Africa Forward Summit, co-chaired by French President Emmanuel Macron and Kenyan President William Ruto.

He subsequently travelled to Rwanda for the Africa CEO Forum, where he stayed from May 13 to 16.

First Lady’s foreign trips attract N700.7m

Separate GovSpend records show that $553,884 was released in foreign exchange for overseas trips involving First Lady Oluremi Tinubu between 2023 and 2024.

The funds, purchased through the State House Headquarters Transit Account, had a combined naira value of N700.71 million at the exchange rates applicable when the transactions were executed.

The records linked the forex purchases to trips involving the United States, Mozambique, Ethiopia, the United Kingdom and France.

They provide the destinations, stated trip dates, amounts of foreign exchange purchased and corresponding naira values, but do not disclose the purposes of the individual trips, their duration, the size of delegations or the total cost beyond the forex component.

The first recorded transaction was linked to a United States trip dated March 11, 2023. State House Operations purchased $94,314 for the visit.

The payment was made on November 17, 2023, and was valued at N77.66 million.

In 2024, four separate foreign-exchange transactions linked to overseas trips amounted to $459,570, with a combined naira value of N623.05 million.

The largest was $152,831 for a trip to France scheduled for April 1, 2024, valued at N149.79 million.

Another $126,834 was purchased for a trip to Mozambique and valued at N202.39 million.

State House records also listed $96,118 for a First Lady trip to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, valued at N144.57 million.

A further $83,787 was purchased for a London trip, with a naira value of N126.30 million.

The five recorded transactions amounted to $553,884, equivalent to N700.71 million at the exchange rates applicable to the individual transactions.

No foreign-trip forex payments for the First Lady were contained in the records for 2025 and 2026.

Atiku Attacks Tinubu’s Vacation

Former Vice President and 2027 presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Atiku Abubakar, has criticised Tinubu’s decision to embark on a three-week European vacation at a time he said Nigeria was battling economic hardship and insecurity.

In a statement posted on his social media handles on Sunday, Atiku said Nigeria may not be facing a constitutional vacuum but was experiencing “a disturbing vacuum of political leadership.”

He said there was a fundamental difference between the travels of a private citizen and those of a sitting President.

“Consider what Bola Tinubu is leaving behind. Petrol priced beyond the reach of ordinary people.

“Families rationing food. Transport fares that have turned a journey to one’s own village into a luxury. Insecurity that buries Nigerians week after week. And in the middle of all this, President Tinubu has packed his bags for three weeks in Europe,” Atiku said.

He also questioned the timing of the trip, noting that Vice President Kashim Shettima is currently in Luanda, Angola, attending the 21st Extraordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union.

According to Atiku, leadership requires the judgment to know when the country needs its President at home.

“A father may travel when all is well. But when his roof is burning and his family is trapped inside, he does not pick up his suitcase and head for the airport,” he said.

“That is the issue here. It is not that a President must never rest or travel. It is that Nigeria is burning, and the President has chosen a boarding pass over the fire extinguisher.”

Atiku added: “Millions of Nigerians are being grounded by hardship while their President is airborne. The people can barely afford to move, but the President keeps moving.”

Presidency: Tinubu Needs to “Refuel ”

The Presidency has defended the President’s vacation, describing it as a well-deserved break after months of demanding official engagements.

Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, told journalists at the airport that Tinubu had spent several months attending to state matters and taking major decisions on security, the economy and other areas of governance.

“The President is proceeding on a well-deserved leave,” Dare said.

He said the break was also coming as political activities ahead of the 2027 elections were beginning to intensify.

“At this point, the campaign season has just started. We have four, five months of serious campaigning; of course, governance will continue,” he said.

Dare said Tinubu would remain engaged with state matters during the vacation and continue receiving briefings from ministers, service chiefs and other officials handling critical national issues.

“At this point, it’s important that the President also refuels and even though he’s going on leave, we know that he’ll be engaged with state matters daily,” he said.

The President’s three-week absence comes against the backdrop of growing political realignments ahead of the 2027 elections, with the ruling All Progressives Congress seeking to consolidate its political structure and opposition parties intensifying consultations over possible alliances.