President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima are to spend a combined ₦8.74 billion on local and international travels in 2026, according to provisions in the appropriation bill.
His frequent overseas trips have drawn growing criticism, with opponents arguing that he has not devoted similar attention to domestic travels, except for visits linked to security concerns in a few states.
A review of the detailed budget proposal by Pinnacle Daily shows that ₦6.14 billion has been allocated for the President’s international travel, while ₦873.89 million is earmarked for his local trips.
The figures bring President Tinubu’s total travel allocation to ₦7.01 billion for 2026.
Similarly, the Vice President is allocated ₦1.31 billion for international travels and ₦417.49 million for local trips.
Together, these figures make up a total of ₦1.73 billion for Shettima’s 2026 travel and transport budget.
Pinnacle Daily earlier reported that President Tinubu presented a proposed 2026 budget size of N58 trillion to a joint session of the National Assembly on Friday, December 19, 2025.
Christened ‘Budget of Consolidation, Renewed Resilience and Shared Prosperity’, it aims to consolidate economic reforms and boost growth.
The bill was read for the first time on the same day, and as of Tuesday, December 23, it has passed the second reading in the Senate.
Separate travel allocations for the State House
Beyond the travel budgets of the President and Vice President, the State House Headquarters has separate travel provisions in the 2026 budget.
These include ₦275.74 million for local training travel and ₦2.86 billion for international trips.
The Office of the Chief of Staff to the President is allocated ₦312.91 million for local training and ₦319.94 million for international training.
In addition, a further ₦320 million is set aside for international training under the same office.
Breakdown of the president’s official trips in 2025
In 2025, President Tinubu undertook 15 foreign trips across 11 countries, according to official State House travel disclosures and public records.
The travels included state visits, international summits, working vacations, and stopovers.
Excluding vacations and stopovers, the president made six official foreign trips, each tied to a state visit or major international summit.
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In January, he visited Ghana for the inauguration of its president and later that month travelled to Tanzania for the African Heads of State Energy Summit.
In February, he attended the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where security, economic integration, and governance dominated discussions.
After several months without official travel, Tinubu resumed foreign engagements in June with a state visit to Saint Lucia, marking Nigeria’s diplomatic outreach to the Caribbean.
He then travelled to Brazil in July for the BRICS Summit, and concluded his official trips in August with a visit to Japan for the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9), which focused on investment, infrastructure, and Africa-Asia cooperation.
Tinubu’s local trips
President Tinubu undertook at least seven domestic trips across Nigeria in 2025, according to a review of official State House releases and public records.
The visits included project commissioning ceremonies, crisis-response engagements, working visits, and social functions.
In May, the president travelled to Lagos for events marking the 50th anniversary of ECOWAS, combining the trip with project inaugurations and later spending an extended period in the state for official duties and Eid celebrations.
In June, he visited Nasarawa State to commission major infrastructure projects and later travelled to Benue State as part of efforts to address security concerns.
The president also made a brief visit to Kaduna State in September for a courtesy call and social engagement, followed by a 10-day working visit to Lagos later in the year.
In December, he embarked on a three-state tour, visiting Borno and Bauchi states before proceeding to Lagos for end-of-year activities.
Tinubu’s foreign travels draw criticism
There have been growing concerns over President Bola Tinubu’s frequent trips outside the country, with critics arguing that the travels come at the expense of effective governance at home.
Opposition parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party, Labour Party, African Democratic Congress, New Nigerian People’s Party and the Coalition for United Political Parties, have separately criticised the president’s overseas engagements.
The parties described most of the trips as insensitive, reflecting his lack of commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s healthcare system, as some alleged that the frequency of the travels is linked to his state of health.
In a statement issued on Thursday, August 14, 2025, the African Democratic Congress said Tinubu’s visit at the time marked his 40th international trip in 26 months, amounting to about 181 days abroad, or nearly six months.
“This means that in the 26 months he has been President, nearly 25% of his time has been spent outside the country.
“During this trip, President Tinubu is on track to make his 41st international stop before setting foot in most Nigerian states. Since inauguration, President Tinubu has only visited 13 out of 36 states, but has visited more foreign countries during the same period. This is not good,” the party stated.
Alex is a business journalist cum data enthusiast with the Pinnacle Daily. He can be reached via ealex@thepinnacleng.com, @ehime_alex on X
