President Bola Tinubu departed Abuja on Sunday for a three-week vacation in Europe, his 52nd foreign trip since assuming office on May 29, 2023. This means he has now spent approximately 261 days outside Nigeria, visiting at least 30 countries. France has been his most frequent destination, followed by London and the United Arab Emirates. While he vacations, petrol is N1,310 per litre, food inflation is over 20 per cent, and the Presidency’s travel bill has hit N37.64 billion in just three years, West African Weekly reports.
The Presidency, through Sunday Dare, defended the trip as a well-earned break for the President to “refuel” ahead of the 2027 election campaign. Bayo Onanuga said Tinubu would return to join the “hectic campaign”. But the figures tell a different story: from June 2023 to April 2026, the Presidency spent N37,639,227,853.51 on presidential trips, logistics and foreign exchange. The highest expenditure was in 2024, when more than N25.26 billion was spent, driven largely by foreign exchange allocations and funding for the Presidential Air Fleet. In 2023 alone, the State House spent N9.18 billion in just six months. The First Lady’s trips also attracted N700.7 million in forex between 2023 and 2024.
That N37.64 billion could have built thousands of kilometres of roads, equipped hundreds of primary health centres, or provided school meals for millions of children. Instead, it has been spent on flights, hotels and foreign exchange for the President and his entourage. In January 2026 alone, Tinubu spent 22 days abroad, including 10 days in France as part of his end-of-year vacation. In 2025, he spent N2.7 billion on travel. The 2026 budget allocated another N6.14 billion for international travel. When he returns from this latest trip, he will have spent more than nine months of his presidency outside the country.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has led the criticism, accusing Tinubu of abandoning his post while the country burns. “Consider what Bola Tinubu is leaving behind. Petrol priced beyond the reach of ordinary people. Families rationing food. Transport fares that have turned a journey to one’s own village into a luxury. Insecurity that buries Nigerians week after week. And in the middle of all this, President Tinubu has packed his bags for three weeks in Europe,” Atiku said. Peter Obi has also criticised the frequent trips, noting that Tinubu prefers to stay abroad and only returns to welcome APC defectors. Political science professor Jideofor Adibe described the travels as “overdone,” arguing that Nigeria’s diplomatic architecture already provides adequate mechanisms for international engagement.
While Tinubu vacations, petrol prices keep rising, food costs keep climbing, and Nigerians keep struggling. The Presidency insists these trips are necessary to attract investment and strengthen diplomatic ties. But the results are not visible to ordinary Nigerians. N37.64 billion has been spent on travel in three years. That same money could have built roads, paid teachers, equipped hospitals or fed the hungry. Instead, it has been spent on flights, hotels and foreign exchange for the President and his entourage. The man who made Nigeria expensive has chosen a boarding pass over a fire extinguisher, and Nigerians are left to wonder when he will finally stay home and do the job he was elected to do.
West African Weekly
