Governors Spend N512bn on Offices, Travel in Six Months

Thirty-three state governments spent at least N512.10bn on Government Houses, Governors’ Offices and travel and transport in the first six months of 2026, an analysis of state budget implementation reports has shown.

The amount is about 4,713 times higher than the combined six-month salaries of Nigeria’s 36 governors, whose stated monthly salary of N503,000 translates to N3.018m each over six months. The combined six-month salary of all 36 governors would amount to N108.65m.

According to the analysis, N420.01bn was spent under Government House, Governor’s Office and related executive administration expenditure, while another N92.09bn went to travel and transport during the period.

The combined expenditure represented about 0.02 per cent of the amount that would be required to pay the 36 governors their basic salaries for the same six-month period, highlighting the significant difference between governors’ official salaries and the broader cost of maintaining their offices.

The analysis noted, however, that the figures should not be interpreted as the personal income of governors. Government House and Governor’s Office expenditure covers a wide range of official expenses, including administration, staff, protocol, maintenance, official residences, utilities, security-related activities and state functions.

Similarly, expenditure under travel and transport includes official local and international trips, transportation and related expenses across the wider state public service.

The figures were compiled from available Budget Implementation Reports for the first and second quarters of 2026, using the largest identifiable Government House, Governor’s Office or executive administration expenditure line in each state, alongside the general travel and transport expenditure head.

Complete data were available for 33 states, while comparable figures were unavailable for Edo, Osun and Rivers.

For comparison, available records for the first half of 2025 showed that N465.07bn was spent under Government House, Governor’s Office and similar executive administration heads, while N92.73bn was recorded for travel and transport, bringing the combined figure to N557.80bn.

Based on the states and budget heads for which comparable data were available, the first-half 2026 expenditure was therefore about N45.70bn lower than the corresponding figure for 2025, representing an 8.19 per cent decline.

Government House and Governor’s Office expenditure accounted for the larger share of the spending, declining from N465.07bn in the first half of 2025 to N420.01bn in the corresponding period of 2026, a reduction of N45.05bn or 9.69 per cent.

Travel and transport spending, however, remained relatively stable, falling marginally from N92.73bn in the first half of 2025 to N92.09bn in the same period of 2026, representing a decline of about N643.66m or 0.69 per cent.

Commenting on the figures, development economist Aliyu Ilias said the high cost associated with maintaining executive offices showed why it was misleading to focus solely on a governor’s basic salary without considering the wider expenses and privileges attached to the office.

Ilias argued that executive offices in Nigeria had become excessively expensive to maintain, partly because political office holders wield significant influence over how the institutions under their control are structured and funded.

He also maintained that it was inaccurate to compare the salary of a Permanent Secretary with that of a governor without taking into account the travel allowances, official privileges and other expenses associated with the office of a governor.

A state-by-state breakdown showed that Kogi recorded the highest identifiable Government House and Governor’s Office expenditure at N65.34bn, followed by Ogun with N45.26bn and Lagos with N45.04bn.

Kano recorded N25.87bn, while Ekiti and Cross River recorded N25.22bn and N23.92bn respectively. Bayelsa spent N22.99bn, Imo N19.43bn and Enugu N16.20bn.

At the lower end of the available records, Oyo recorded about N1.95bn, followed by Sokoto with N2.20bn, Kwara with N2.59bn and Abia with N2.78bn.

On travel and transport, Plateau recorded the highest identifiable expenditure at N10.11bn in the first six months of 2026, followed by Lagos with N8.23bn and Taraba with N5.16bn.

Niger spent N4.45bn, Ekiti N4.41bn, Bauchi N3.75bn and Yobe N3.68bn, while Oyo recorded one of the lowest identifiable amounts at N667.52m. Kano recorded N626.95m.

The figures also revealed significant variations in spending patterns between 2025 and 2026. Kogi’s Government House and Governor’s Office expenditure, for instance, rose from N51.99bn in the first half of 2025 to N65.34bn in 2026, an increase of about N13.34bn or 25.66 per cent.

Bayelsa’s expenditure increased from N14.48bn to N22.99bn, while Cross River recorded a rise from N9.91bn to N23.92bn.

Other states recorded reductions. Ogun’s expenditure fell from N49.83bn in the first half of 2025 to N45.26bn in 2026, while Kano’s declined from N28.84bn to N25.87bn.

Lagos, however, recorded one of the most significant increases, with identifiable spending rising from N25.86bn in 2025 to N45.04bn in 2026, representing an increase of about N19.18bn or 74.16 per cent.

The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission is constitutionally responsible for determining the remuneration of governors and other political office holders. The existing remuneration framework remains in force while a broader review is being processed by the relevant authorities.

The expenditure comes amid increased revenues accruing to state governments following the Federal Government’s economic reforms. An earlier analysis of Ministry of Finance data showed that N47.25tn was shared through the Federation Account between 2023 and 2025, accounting for more than half of the N93.13tn distributed over the nine years from 2017 to 2025.

The increased revenue has consequently intensified public scrutiny over whether the additional resources available to state governments are translating into improved infrastructure and public services.

The latest figures highlight the wide gap between the official salaries of governors and the broader public expenditure required to maintain the executive structures around their offices.

While the basic salary of a governor may appear modest, the overall cost of running Government Houses, Governors’ Offices and official travel runs into hundreds of billions of naira, raising broader questions about the cost of governance and the management of public resources.