In a span of three months, the Federal Government spent approximately N701m funding First Lady Remi Tinubu’s foreign trips to five countries, according to The PUNCH.
This expenditure comes after the government allocated N1.5bn for the procurement of vehicles for the Office of the First Lady in the 2023 supplementary budget.
A breakdown of the budget reveals N2.9bn allocated for sport utility vehicles for the Presidential Villa and another N2.9bn for replacing operational vehicles for the Presidency.
However, former Chief Whip of the Senate Ali Ndume claimed the N1.5bn was for the Presidency, not the First Lady’s office.
Using GovSpend, a civic tech platform tracking government spending, it was discovered that the government paid out N700,707,532 over three months for the First Lady’s foreign trips.
Specifically:
– N77,659,888 was released on November 17, 2023, for foreign exchange ($94,314) for her US trip.
– N149,794,284 was paid on February 24, 2024, for foreign exchange ($152,831) for her France trip.
– N202,386,198 was paid on March 15, 2024, for foreign exchange ($126,834) for her Mozambique trip.
– N144,571,785 was paid on March 15, 2024, for foreign exchange ($96,118) for her Ethiopia trip.
– N126,295,377 was paid for foreign exchange ($83,967) for her London trip.
Additionally, N314,231,472 was spent on six of the First Lady’s programs within four months.
Reacting to this, the Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership condemned the expenditure, stating it was “out of place” and “a misappropriation of funds” since the Office of the First Lady is not recognized by the constitution.
CACOL’s Executive Director, Debo Adeniran, said, “It is more than profligacy. It is actually a misappropriation of funds… Every appropriation that is made for that office is illegal.”
Adeniran emphasized the need for Nigerians to speak out against such spending, saying, “Nigerians cannot reason with the government because they have not set their priorities right. They spend on frivolities rather than on things that will improve the lives of the people.”
The Director of the Centre for Social Justice, Eze Onyekper, also criticized the expenditure, stating, “I am not aware of any constitutional provision creating the office of the First Lady, nor am I aware of any law creating the office. So, what they are doing is clearly illegal. It is an abuse of office.”
