A budget of ₦9.36 billion has been allocated for domestic and international travel, as well as refreshments, for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima in the upcoming year.
This allocation is part of the details outlined in the 2025 Appropriation Bill, which was recently released by the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning.
On Wednesday, President Tinubu presented the ₦49.7 trillion budget proposal to a joint session of the National Assembly, under the theme: ‘Restoration Budget: Securing Peace and Building Prosperity.’ The budget aims to address various national issues while focusing on peace and prosperity in the coming year.
Among the proposed figures, ₦7.44 billion has been earmarked for President Tinubu’s travel expenses, including both domestic and international trips, as well as refreshments. The Vice President, Kashim Shettima, has a separate allocation of ₦1.9 billion for similar purposes, which will cover his travel and refreshment expenses for the year.
For the president’s international travel, a significant ₦6.14 billion has been allocated. In addition, local travel for the president is projected at ₦873.9 million. An amount of ₦431.6 million is specifically set aside for the president’s refreshments, meals, and catering supplies throughout the year.
The vice president’s budget for travel includes ₦1.31 billion for international travel and ₦417.5 million for domestic travel. As for the vice president’s refreshments, meals, and catering supplies, ₦186.02 million has been designated for these expenses in 2025.
In the first quarter of 2024 alone, President Tinubu, Vice President Shettima, and First Lady Remi Tinubu collectively spent over ₦5.24 billion on both local and international travel. This expenditure was revealed through an analysis conducted using GovSpend, a civic technology platform dedicated to tracking government expenditures and providing transparent data on public spending.
[h3>Budget for Presidency’s Vehicles, Fuel, Honorarium, and Office Construction[/h3]In addition to travel and refreshments, the Office of the President has also proposed a separate budget of ₦4.76 billion for vehicles. This budget includes ₦3.66 billion specifically for acquiring operational vehicles for the State House, while ₦1 billion is allocated for replacing existing Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs). Furthermore, an additional ₦255.7 million is set aside for car purchases, with ₦127.8 million allocated for purchasing SUVs for both the president and vice president, as well as another ₦127.8 million for operational vehicles within the Presidential Conference Car Unit (CCU) fleet.
Furthermore, a budget of ₦5.94 billion has been proposed for various essential expenditures, including honorarium, fuel, and the construction of an office complex for Special Advisers and Senior Special Assistants. The budget includes ₦2.12 billion allocated for sitting allowances and honoraria, ₦1.99 billion for fuel expenses, and ₦1.83 billion designated for the construction of a new office complex to support the work of the president’s advisory team.
