Market News

By Sami Tunji

The Presidency spent at least N34.39bn on foreign exchange purchases for international travel and related obligations over a two-year period, findings by The PUNCH have shown.

The figure is according to data compiled from GovSpend, a government spending tracker managed by BudgIT.

The records, which cover transactions by the State House, Presidential Air Fleet, the Office of the Chief of Staff, and operations linked to the President, Vice President, First Lady, and their aides, show a sharp swing in spending patterns between 2024 and 2025.

An analysis of the data shows that 2024 accounted for the bulk of the expenditure, with total forex purchases of N29.35bn, while 2025 recorded N5.04bn.

This represents a year-on-year decline of 82.8 per cent, aligning with broader trends in the foreign exchange market where the naira stabilised following policy reforms and improved dollar inflows.

The transactions largely relate to the purchase of foreign currencies for official trips, aviation operations, estacodes, training programmes, and logistics for international engagements involving top executive officials.

While the Presidency has maintained that such trips are necessary for diplomacy, investment promotion and bilateral relations, the scale and timing of the spending have continued to draw public scrutiny amid Nigeria’s fiscal constraints and forex shortages.

In 2024, forex purchases were heavily concentrated in the first half of the year, coinciding with a period of heightened exchange rate volatility and sustained pressure on the naira.

One of the most prominent spenders during the year was the Presidential Air Fleet, which alone accounted for several multi-billion-naira transactions described as “presidential air fleet forex transit funds.”

The Presidential Air Fleet, managed by the Nigerian Air Force, is responsible for the air transport needs of the President, Vice President, and senior government officials.

Despite its strategic role, the cost of maintaining the fleet has long been a subject of public scrutiny and criticism, particularly amid Nigeria’s fiscal pressures and rising debt service obligations.

Between March and May 2024, the Presidential Air Fleet Naira Transit Account recorded repeated purchases of about N1.27bn each on March 7, March 9, April 6, May 11 and May 25, alongside larger tranches such as N5.08bn on April 23 and N2.43bn on May 8.

These aviation-related transactions show the high cost of maintaining and deploying the presidential fleet for overseas travel.

Additional transfers of N205m in July, N34m, N1.25bn, N2.21bn, N160.4m, N1.24bn and N902.9m in August further swelled the air fleet’s forex bill.

Smaller amounts followed later in the year, including payments in September and December, bringing the air fleet’s cumulative forex-linked transactions in 2024 into several billions of naira.

Beyond aviation, the State House Headquarters also recorded extensive forex purchases throughout 2024.

In February alone, the State House spent over N2.5bn on forex linked directly to specific presidential and vice-presidential trips.

These included N426.88m for the Vice President’s trip to Switzerland, N1.04bn for the President’s trip to Ethiopia, N750m for the President’s trip to Dubai, N176.77m for the Vice President’s trip to Côte d’Ivoire, N149.79m for the First Lady’s trip to France, and N86.76m for the Vice President’s trip to Liberia.

March 2024 saw further spending tied to foreign travel by the First Lady and Vice President. Transactions included N202.39m for the First Lady’s trip to Mozambique, N144.57m for her trip to Addis Ababa, and N126.30m for a trip to London.

The Vice President’s engagements also featured, with N201.12m spent on a trip to Côte d’Ivoire and N169.54m for estacodes linked to UK and US training programmes.

From July 2024, forex purchases by the State House intensified, with multiple same-day transactions on July 17 alone.

These included N149.05m, N358.53m, N243.32m, N739.07m, and N73.07m, all tagged as forex purchases.

Additional payments were made on July 23, August 6, October 11, and October 28, with notable amounts of N569.68m, N323.14m, N246.80m, and a significant N1.36bn on October 28.

By the final quarter of 2024, spending remained elevated. In November, the State House Operations – President recorded several purchases, including N22.19m, N18.34m, N169.10m and N185.23m on November 28. December added another N736.20m on December 1, reinforcing the pattern of sustained forex demand by the Presidency throughout the year.

Cumulatively, these transactions pushed total forex purchases linked to the Presidency in 2024 to N29.35bn, making it one of the most expensive years for official foreign travel and related forex spending in recent times.

In contrast, 2025 marked a significant pullback. Total forex purchases for the year stood at N5.04bn, a steep decline from the previous year.

The reduction was broad-based, cutting across the Presidency, Vice Presidency and supporting offices.

Transactions in 2025 were also generally smaller in size and more sporadic, suggesting a deliberate effort to rein in forex outflows.

Data from April 30, 2025, show multiple forex purchases by State House Operations – President and Vice President, but most were in the tens of millions rather than billions of naira.

Amounts such as N535.82m, N57.94m, N32.51m, N57.81m and N23.67m dominated the April transactions.

Even the larger figures recorded in mid-2025, including N1.29bn, N1.28bn and N626m linked to the Presidential Air Fleet, were fewer and spread over several months.

By the second half of 2025, forex purchases had tapered further. August transactions included N7.67m and N11.14m, while November and December recorded modest payments by the Office of the Chief of Staff and the Presidential Air Fleet.

The overall pattern points to tighter controls and possibly improved planning around official travel as the naira stabilised in 2025.

The PUNCH observed that the naira ended 2025 on a firmer note, closing at N1,429/$1 on December 31.

This was a 7.4 per cent appreciation from the N1,535/$1 recorded on the final trading day of 2024, according to official exchange rate data from the Central Bank of Nigeria.

The local currency concluded 2024 with significant depreciation, recording a 40.9 per cent loss against the dollar in the official market.

The 2025 performance marks the naira’s first annual gain since 2012, when it appreciated slightly to N157.29 from N158.99 in 2011.

The currency had depreciated every year since then, marking a major turnaround after 13 years of consistent declines.

A further breakdown of the GovSpend data also shows that aviation-related expenses remain a major driver of forex demand.

The Presidential Air Fleet consistently accounted for some of the largest transactions across both years, reflecting maintenance, fuel, leasing and operational costs that are typically dollar-denominated.

This has renewed debate over the size and cost structure of the fleet, especially at a time when many countries are reviewing the sustainability of maintaining large official aircraft inventories.

The State House and Office of the Chief of Staff accounted for smaller but still significant amounts, often linked directly to specific trips by the President, Vice President or First Lady. These include forex purchases for estacodes, accommodation, logistics and protocol obligations.

The Country Director of Accountability Lab Nigeria, Odeh Friday, earlier expressed concern about the impact of such spending on taxpayers and the need for greater transparency and accountability.

“This highlights the urgent need for a shift toward greater equality and accountability in the management of public finances,” Friday said.

He emphasised that it is critical to evaluate the outcomes of these significant expenditures, questioning whether they truly serve the interests of the Nigerian people. “Some of them are clearly wasteful expenditure,” he added.

Former Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, has criticised President Bola Tinubu for spending much of January abroad.

Obi, in a post on his X handle on Sunday morning, noted that while leaders in other countries focus on domestic governance at the start of the year, Nigeria’s president has prioritised foreign engagements over pressing national issues.

Obi also questioned the necessity of Tinubu’s frequent foreign trips, noting that the President spent 23 days abroad in January across two trips, returning only briefly to Nigeria in between.

“While leaders in other nations prioritise domestic governance in January, Nigeria’s president prioritises international engagements over pressing national issues. This month, he spent 23 days abroad across two trips—beginning the year overseas and returning on the 17th, and departing less than 10 days on the 26th to Türkiye, where he remains as of January 31. What urgent matters continuously warrant his absence from the nation? When he does return, it often appears to be merely to welcome defectors into the APC before he jets off again.”