DESPITE repeatedly urging Nigerians to endure economic hardship, President Bola Tinubu and Vice President, Kashim Shettima, have pocketed N1.7 billion respectively as honorariums outside their regular salaries so far in 2024, The ICIR findings reveal.
This is according to data from GovSpend, a portal tracking the government’s expenditures.
The N1.7 billion could cover a month’s salary of 24,511 civil servants, based on Nigeria’s national minimum wage of N70,000.
In addition, the president and his vice, including the first lady, has spent N6.8 billion on foreign trips and related expenses this year. The data which was accessed by The ICIR on October 11, 2024, captured money spent by the government till September 15, 2024.
These expenditures were recorded amid nationwide frustration due to economic hardship triggered by President Tinubu’s economic policies, including the removal of fuel subsidies and unification of exchange rates.
In August, angry Nigerians staged a 10-day nationwide protest against widespread hunger in the country. The initially peaceful protests, dubbed #EndBadGovernanceinNigeria, eventually turned violent, resulting in casualties and property damage.
The protesters demanded the reinstatement of the petrol subsidy removed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during his inaugural speech in May 2023, a reduction in fuel prices to below N300 per litre, lower electricity tariffs, and the reversal of import duties to their previous rates, among other issues.
While Tinubu appealed to the citizens to bear the hardships caused by these reforms, which he says were necessary for the country’s economic recovery, this sacrifice did not reach the government officials as they continued to spend extravagantly.
An honorarium for a president refers to a payment or token of appreciation given in recognition of their services, often for speaking engagements or attending events.
For instance, the president pocketed N200 million and another N50 million as an honorarium on February 24, 2024. He also received N300 million on March 15, while vice-president Kashim Shettima received N100 million for the same purpose on February 7.
In March, N600 million was paid to the State House headquarters transit account as a presidential honorarium for the period. A sum of N595 million was paid in May 2024 while the sum of N71 million and N100 million were paid for July and August 2024 respectively.
The presidency’s expenditure on foreign trips also raised concerns. On February 21, 2024, N300 million was spent on presidential trips in January. More payments followed, including N250 million on February 24 and over N42 million on March 15.
Furthermore, between February 24 and March 15, 2024, the government spent over N2.9 billion on foreign exchange to fund trips by President Tinubu, Vice President Shettima, and first lady, Remi Tinubu, including visits to Dubai, Ethiopia, Switzerland, Liberia, France, and Côte d’Ivoire.
This is even as the first lady said her family is blessed and does not need Nigeria’s wealth to survive after her husband got elected as president.
On February 24, N750 million was used to buy $1.27 million for Tinubu’s trip to Dubai, and N1.04 billion was allocated for his visit to Ethiopia. The vice president and first lady also incurred significant expenses, including N426.88 million for Shettima’s visit to Switzerland and N149.79 million for the first lady’s trip to France.
When he clocked one year in office, The ICIR reported that President Bola Tinubu made at least 17 trips out of the country for official and unofficial purposes since he was sworn in as president.
His international engagements began in June 2023, with a visit to France for the New Global Financial Pact Summit, where he advocated for economic justice and climate action for Africa. Shortly thereafter, he visited London privately before returning for the Eid-el-Kabir celebration. Tinubu’s role as chairperson of the Economic Community of Westa Africa (ECOWAS) led him to Guinea-Bissau in July, where he presided over key discussions on regional security and political stability.
In the latter part of 2023, Tinubu attended notable global events, such as the G-20 Summit in India, where he strengthened Nigeria’s economic ties with Asia. His visit to the UAE was aimed at resolving a visa ban on Nigerian travellers, although reports regarding the resolution remained mixed.
Also, the president participated in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, where he stressed the need for global attention on African development and the containment of military coups across the continent.
Moving into 2024, Tinubu resumed his travels with a private visit to France, followed by a trip to Qatar to strengthen bilateral relations. In April, he visited the Netherlands and Saudi Arabia to explore economic collaborations and participate in the World Economic Forum.
On August 29, Tinubu embarked on a trip to China, and Nigerians were told he would make a brief stopover in Dubai. He suddenly reappeared in London.
He had landed in Beijing in the early hours of September 1. He had a busy week meeting and signing agreements with Chinese political and business leaders on the sidelines of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.
The President concluded his official engagements in China by meeting with Nigerians living in the country on September 5. He left China the same day.
He departed Abuja on August 2 for the United Kingdom to begin a two-week vacation, part of his annual leave.
Tinubu had never handed over power to his deputy, Kashim Shettima, while away from the country, unlike Buhari who transmitted power to vice President Yemi Osinbajo on several occasions before he left office.
Commenting on The ICIR’s findings, Senior Program Officer, BudgIT Foundation, Ama Ekeheoveh criticised presidency’s expenditures on honorariums and travels, describing it as a major contrast to its call for sacrifices from struggling Nigerians.
She noted that even though engagements require funding, the amount spent on these trips, in the face of the widespread economic hardship, does not align with the government’s call for Nigerians to make sacrifices.
“It’s difficult to reconcile these expenditures with the prudence the presidency has been advocating for, while urging citizens to tighten their belts. This lack of accountability creates the perception that these sacrifices are one-sided; to the disadvantage of ordinary Nigerians,” she said.
Ekeheoveh noted that the expenditures are neither on capital projects that will benefit the general public. Rather they are expenditures with outcomes and impacts that are nearly impossible to measure.
“For citizens struggling with rising costs of goods and services, unemployment and general hardship, these expenditures are perceived as a total lack of care by the people. At a time like this, where the government needs trust and cooperation to implement tough economic reforms, they risk fueling public frustration and resentment instead. An example of this is the recent #EndBadGovernance protests that was a clear demonstration of the dissatisfaction of Nigerians with the way the economy is being run. The reality of Nigerians and the government spending really does not align.”
She further criticised the government for missing the opportunity to redirect the money toward critical sectors like food security, unemployment programs, or basic infrastructure, which could have provided long-term benefits to Nigerians.
Ekeheoveh also condemned spending by the ‘office of the first lady,’ describing it as unconstitutional, noting its expenditure of nearly three-quarters of a billion naira on foreign trips within a year.
“This is not a time where our leaders should claim solidarity with citizens with mere words, actions need to match those words. The national assembly should step up to the plate to provide the necessary oversight in terms of curtailing government spending. Prudent spending should be from the top, and detailed explanations on the impact of this spending should be provided. Far too often, Nigerians are told of government spending but the government does not prioritise audit of its spending, which essentially means Nigerians never know if value for money was achieved,” she said.
Nurudeen Akewushola is an investigative reporter and fact-checker with The ICIR. He believes courageous in-depth investigative reporting is the key to social justice, accountability and good governance in society. You can reach him via nyahaya@icirnigeria.org and @NurudeenAkewus1 on Twitter.