By James Odunayo, Ripples Nigeria
On April 2nd, 2025, President Bola Tinubu embarked on his fifth trip to France since assuming office, which the presidency described as a “working visit.” The trip is expected to span two weeks. However, this latest journey has sparked a range of reactions regarding the frequency of foreign trips by the presidency and their financial impact on Nigeria.
In a statement issued by Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, the president’s latest trip is for him to review the administration’s mid-term performance and to reflect on ongoing reforms and key national development priorities for the year ahead.
Critics argue that these international travels increase the financial burden of governance, despite the president’s commitment to reducing the size of his entourage for both domestic and international trips. In contrast, the presidency maintains that many of these visits are crucial for securing foreign investments and strengthening diplomatic relations between Nigeria and the countries visited. Nevertheless, these justifications have been met with scepticism from some observers.
Since his inauguration, President Tinubu has made at least 25 international trips, often categorized as official or private, to bolster Nigeria’s bilateral ties with other nations.
In 2023, between May 2023, when he was elected and December, the president spent a total of 50 days outside the country, visiting countries like Germany (Berlin), Guinea-Bissau, Saudi Arabia (Riyadh), United States, United Arab Emirate (UAE), India, Republic of Benin (Cotonou), Kenya (Nairobi), Republic of Guinea-Bissau, United Kingdom, France.
These visits continued in 2024, with countries like Senegal, Qatar, The Kingdom of the Netherlands, Ethiopia and Saudi Arabia adding to the long list of visited countries. A report gathered that in January 2025, the president spent 12 days on foreign trips visiting countries like Ghana, UAE and Tanzania.
Budget for Foreign Trips
Meanwhile, findings by RipplesMetrics, indicate a total of N5.99 billion has been spent by the presidency on foreign travels between June 2023 and October 2024 according to data from GovSpend, a portal documenting the daily expenses of the federal government. The expenses include both the payment for foreign trips and the purchase of foreign currencies for the presidential trips.
While the payment for foreign trips costs N4.73 billion, the payment for foreign exchange for presidential trips costs N1.25 billion for the period under review.
This total includes expenses from the State House Headquarters, State House Operation (President), State House Operations (Vice-President) and the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President.
Breaking down the expense, between the period in view, the State House Headquarters had spent N3.95 billion, the State House Operation (President) spent N1.77 billion, the State House Operations (Vice-President) spent N217.94 million and the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President spent N46.51 million for only the purchase of FX.
The government’s focus on sustaining a strong international presence is apparent. However, this financial commitment emphasizes the importance of transparency, prudent use of public funds, and striking a balance between essential government functions and fiscal responsibility.
