Thirty-three state governments spent at least N512.10bn on Government Houses, Governors’ Offices, executive administration, travel and transport in the first six months of 2026, according to an analysis of state budget implementation reports.
The figure includes N420.01bn spent on Government Houses, Governors’ Offices and related executive administration, alongside N92.09bn on travel and transport. The report noted that this was about 4,713 times higher than the combined six-month basic salaries of Nigeria’s 36 governors.
Based on a stated monthly salary of N503,000 per governor, the combined six-month salaries of all 36 governors would amount to about N108.65m, representing just 0.02 per cent of the identified spending on executive offices and travel.
The analysis stressed that the N512.10bn was not the personal income of governors. The expenditure covers costs such as staff, protocol, maintenance, official residences, utilities, security-related activities, state functions and official local and foreign travel.
Compared with the first half of 2025, when the available records showed N557.80bn spent on comparable budget heads, the 2026 figure represented a decline of N45.70bn, or 8.19 per cent. Spending on executive offices fell, while travel and transport costs remained largely unchanged.
Kogi recorded the highest identifiable Government House and Governor’s Office expenditure at N65.34bn, followed by Ogun with N45.26bn and Lagos with N45.04bn. On travel and transport, Plateau recorded the highest identifiable spending at N10.11bn, followed by Lagos at N8.23bn.
Development economist Aliyu Ilias said focusing only on governors’ basic salaries could be misleading because it ignored the wider public cost and privileges attached to maintaining executive offices. The figures have also renewed scrutiny over how states are using increased revenues and whether public spending is translating into improved infrastructure and services.
