Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies spent over N22.6 billion on estacode, air tickets and related travel expenses between July 2023 and March 2026, according to an analysis of payment records from Govspend, a civic accountability platform. The data shows a sharp spike in 2024 alone accounting for N15.67 billion. The Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation topped spending with N5.15 billion, followed by the Federal Ministry of Sports Development at N3.56 billion. The analysis also uncovered multiple duplicate and repeated payments across agencies, including Police Formations and the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
Key Points
- Taxpayers bear the cost of N22.6bn in travel expenses within a 33-month period.
- Duplicate payments suggest weak internal controls or possible exploitation of travel budgets.
- The sharp 2024 spending spike raises questions about fiscal discipline during economic hardship.
- Agencies with non-travel core mandates, like Sports, recorded some of the highest travel bills.
- Recurring same-day multiple payments to identical beneficiaries signal potential systemic abuse.
Watch whether anti-corruption agencies investigate the duplicate payments and if the government introduces tighter controls on estacode approvals.
Sources: Daily Trust
