In the first half of 2024, thirty-two state governors in Nigeria incurred travel expenses of N69.71 billion, encompassing both domestic and international travel.

This is because public servants have also opted to take an annual leave of absence overseas.

Currently, President Bola Tinubu is in the UK for his two-week vacation.

According to information obtained by Sunday PUNCH, three state governors—Babagana Zulum of Borno, Dikko Radda of Katsina, and Seyi Makinde of Oyo—went abroad for their yearly vacation for ninety days.

Based on an examination of the state budget implementation reports sourced from Open Nigerian States, a BudgiT-supported website serving as a public budget data repository, government official travel expenses climbed to N69.71 billion in the second quarter of 2024 from N34.63 billion in the first three months of the current year.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics’ Capital Importation report for Q1, 2024, only Lagos, the Federal Capital Territory, and Ekiti saw capital importation in the first quarter of 2024 despite the associated expenditures.

The agency has not yet released the second quarter’s results.

With 2.78 billion, or 82.42% of the $3.38 billion in capital imported into Nigeria during the time under review, Lagos State continued to be the most popular destination for capital imports, according to the report.

The research indicated that Ekiti State came in second with US$0.01m, and Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, came in third with $593.58m (17.58 percent).

It follows that during the time under examination, capital importation was absent from 34 states.

A brief examination of capital importation and travel expenses revealed that Governor Makinde, who spent the most on overseas trips between January and June—N11.57 billion—did not draw in any foreign investors to the state.

Furthermore, without luring in any foreign investment, Governors Zulum and Radda spent N1.96 billion and N1.94 billion, respectively, on their travels over a six-month period.

The state governors’ foreign travel expenses total N1.94 billion, with the highest spending going to Ebonyi (N1.85 billion), Ekiti (N3.75 billion), Taraba (N6.39 billion), Delta (N1.98 billion), Cross-Rivers (N2.31 billion), Bayelsa (N1.66 billion), Bauchi (N1.06 billion), Anambra (N316.42 million), Akwa-Ibom (N640.84 billion), Adamawa (N1.72 billion), Abia (N280.02 million), Edo (N5.49 billion), Enugu (N28.46 million), Jigawa (N984 billion), Kaduna (N1.01 billion), Kano (N2.89 billion), and Katsina (N1.94 billion).

Travel costs went up to N911.27 million for Kogi state, N2.74 billion for Kebbi, N1.91 billion for Kwara, N1.83 billion for Nasarawa, N945.62 million for Lagos, Niger (N725.02 billion), Niger (N1.12 billion), Sokoto (N1,41 billion), Plateau (N2.99 billion), Yobe (N3.01 billion), and Zamfara (N1.57 billion).

States lacking Q2, 2024 data were Benue, Rivers, and Ogun.

Although the present administration claims to have brought $30 billion in foreign direct investments into the nation, the absence of foreign investments in the states is consistent with a general decline in investments made in the nation as a result of insecurity and other problems.

Professor Jonathan Aremu, a consultant for the ECOWAS Common Investment Market, commented on the dearth of international investments in the afflicted states, stating that the governments lacked compelling reasons.

It is as a result of their lack of appealing qualities. Those states lack the resources that draw in international investment. Investing has a tendency to be crisis averse. Investments are not made in crisis-ridden areas. He said, “Because investors want consistency and predictability in their investments, especially when it comes to receiving returns on their investments.”