The 2025 budget proposal has revealed significant allocations for travel, refreshments, and other expenses related to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima. A total of N9.4 billion is set aside for their trips and catering needs next year, as detailed in the document currently under review.
For President Tinubu, international travels will cost N6.14 billion, while local trips are projected at N873.9 million. Additionally, N431.6 million has been allocated for the president’s refreshments, meals, and catering supplies.
Vice President Shettima’s expenses for international and local trips are pegged at N1.31 billion and N417.5 million, respectively. His food and refreshments budget is set at N186.02 million.
This comes in the wake of reports that between January and March 2024, the President, Vice President, and First Lady collectively spent N5.24 billion on similar travel-related expenses, according to data from the GovSpend civic tech platform.
The Office of the President also proposed N4,760,035,960 for vehicles, with N3,661,566,123 for the purchase of State House operational vehicles and N1 billion for the replacement of Sport Utility Vehicle (SUVs).
Another N255,728,214 was budgeted for purchase of cars, with N127,864,107 set aside for the procurement of SUVS for the president and vice president as well as N127,864,107 for the purchase of operational vehicles at the Presidential Conference Car Unit (CCU) fleet.
The sum of N5,938,883,548 was proposed for honorarium, construction for Special Advisers and Senior Special Assistants’ Office Complex and fuel for generators.
The budget proposals showed that N2,118,521,128 was earmarked for sitting allowance/honorarium, N1,989,579,359 for fuel and N1,830,783,061 (billion) is for construction of office complex for SAs and SSAs.
The 2025 Appropriation Bill, tagged the “Restoration Budget,” amounts to N49.7 trillion and has passed its second reading in the National Assembly. Both chambers have referred the bill to their respective Appropriation Committees for further consideration.
Additionally, a bill to extend the capital component of the 2024 budget to June 30, 2025, has also passed its second reading in the House of Representatives. The National Assembly will reconvene on January 14, 2025, after the yuletide recess.
