FG Spent ₦22.6bn on Estacode, Air Tickets Under Tinubu — Report

Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) spent more than ₦22.6 billion on estacode, air tickets and related travel expenses between July 2023 and March 2026, an analysis of government payment records by Daily Trust Newspaper has been revealed.

The figures, sourced from Govspend, a civic transparency platform, showed that total spending within the period stood at ₦22,674,234,602.21, with 2024 recording the highest expenditure of ₦15.67 billion, representing over two-thirds of the total amount.

The report indicated that spending in 2023 stood at ₦3.26 billion, while 2025 recorded ₦3.41 billion. As of early 2026, the amount spent had reached ₦324.88 million.

Among the top spending agencies, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation led with ₦5.15 billion, followed by the Federal Ministry of Sports Development Headquarters with ₦3.56 billion.

Others listed include the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) with ₦1.80 billion, the Federal Ministry of Finance Headquarters with ₦1.04 billion, and the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru with ₦802.69 million.

The report also named the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, Police Formations and Commands, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), and the National Commission for Persons with Disability among agencies with notable travel-related expenditures.

Beyond the spending figures, the analysis uncovered cases of alleged duplicate and repeated payments. It stated that Police Formations and Commands recorded a ₦10 million payment three times to the same beneficiary using identical transaction details.

Similarly, the OSGF was reported to have processed duplicate payments of ₦6.6 million for estacode and air tickets to the same beneficiary on the same day.
At NIPSS, Kuru, repeated transfers of about ₦7.6 million were also reportedly observed, with only slight differences in reference numbers.

Further details showed clusters of payments made on the same day for similar official travel purposes.
On July 27, 2023, the Federal Ministry of Finance reportedly made multiple payments for foreign trips, including ₦5.22 million for Malaga, Spain, ₦6.88 million for New York, and several others ranging from ₦4.95 million to ₦8.1 million.

Likewise, on August 8, 2023, the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs processed payments of ₦22.9 million, ₦9.84 million, ₦7.68 million, and ₦6.2 million, all linked to estacode and travel logistics.
The National Commission for Persons with Disability also reportedly made multiple payments on July 25, 2023, including ₦9.1 million and ₦3.5 million for travel assignments.

The findings are expected to intensify calls for stricter monitoring of public spending and greater accountability in government travel expenses.