States spent N512bn on governors’ offices, travel in six months

State governments spent at least N512.1 billion on Government Houses, governors’ offices and travel in the first half of 2026, dwarfing the basic salaries of the governors by thousands of times, an analysis of state budget implementation reports has shown.

The analysis, covering 33 states with available records, found that N420.01 billion was spent under Government House, Governor’s Office and related executive administration heads between January and June 2026.

Another N92.09 billion went to travel and transport, bringing the combined expenditure to N512.1 billion.

By comparison, the statutory monthly salary of a state governor is N503,000. This means one governor earns N3.018 million in six months, while the combined six-month basic salary of all 36 governors amounts to about N108.65 million.

The N512.1 billion spent on the identified expenditure heads is therefore about 4,713 times the combined basic salaries of the 36 governors over the same period.

The figures do not represent money personally received by the governors. Government House and Governor’s Office expenditure covers a wide range of costs, including administration, personnel, official residences, utilities, maintenance, protocol, security-related expenses and government functions.

Travel and transport allocations similarly cover official journeys and transportation-related expenses involving the wider state public service.

Nevertheless, the figures highlight the much larger cost of maintaining the machinery surrounding state executive offices, beyond the salaries paid directly to governors.

Spending falls from 2025 level

The N512.1 billion recorded in the first six months of 2026 represents an 8.19 per cent decline from the N557.8 billion identified under comparable expenditure heads in the first half of 2025.

Government House and Governor’s Office spending fell from N465.07 billion in the first half of 2025 to N420.01 billion in 2026, a decline of N45.05 billion, or 9.69 per cent.

Spending on travel and transport remained largely unchanged, dropping marginally from N92.73 billion to N92.09 billion.

The analysis covered Abia, Adamawa, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Borno, Cross River, Ebonyi, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Oyo, Plateau, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara.

Comparable data were unavailable for Edo, Osun and Rivers.

Kogi leads spending

Kogi recorded the highest identifiable expenditure on Government House and Governor’s Office at N65.34 billion, followed by Ogun with N45.26 billion and Lagos with N45.04 billion.

Kano spent N25.87 billion, while Ekiti recorded N25.22 billion and Cross River N23.92 billion.

Bayelsa recorded N22.99 billion, Imo N19.43 billion and Enugu N16.20 billion.

At the lower end, Oyo recorded about N1.95 billion, Sokoto N2.20 billion, Kwara N2.59 billion and Abia N2.78 billion.

Kogi’s expenditure alone accounted for more than 15 per cent of the Government House and Governor’s Office spending captured in the dataset.

For travel and transport, Plateau recorded the highest identifiable expenditure at N10.11 billion, followed by Lagos with N8.23 billion and Taraba with N5.16 billion.

Niger spent N4.45 billion on the category, Ekiti N4.41 billion, Bauchi N3.75 billion and Yobe N3.68 billion.

Kano recorded N626.95 million, while Oyo had one of the lowest figures at N667.52 million.

Economist questions cost of running executive offices

Development economist Aliyu Ilias said focusing only on governors’ basic salaries could give a misleading impression of the actual cost of political office.

He argued that the extensive expenditure attached to executive offices, including travel and other official privileges, should form part of the conversation about the cost of governance.

According to him, Nigeria’s political system remains expensive partly because state assemblies often provide limited scrutiny of executive spending.

He also questioned the argument that some senior civil servants earn more than governors when only their salaries are compared.

The debate over governors’ earnings intensified recently after Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori disclosed that his monthly salary was N503,000, noting that some permanent secretaries earn higher monthly salaries.

However, the expenditure data suggest that the more significant fiscal issue extends beyond the governors’ personal salaries to the cost of maintaining their offices and the administrative structures attached to them.

More revenue, greater scrutiny

The spending comes amid increased revenues available to state governments following economic reforms and higher Federation Account distributions.

An analysis of Ministry of Finance data showed that N47.25 trillion was shared through the Federation Account between 2023 and 2025, representing more than half of the N93.13 trillion distributed between 2017 and 2025.

The increased flow of public funds to states has consequently intensified demands for greater accountability over how governments deploy their resources.

The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, which determines the remuneration of governors and other political office holders, is also reviewing the existing remuneration framework.

The latest expenditure figures therefore shift the debate beyond the question of how much governors earn to a broader question: how much does it cost taxpayers to maintain the institutions, privileges and machinery surrounding Nigeria’s state governors?