A report put together by GovSpend, a data and research outfit that tracks and analyzes spendings and expenditure of the Nigerian government, has revealed that several ministries and agencies under the administration of President Bola Tinubu have spent no less than N1.8bn on air tickets, estacodes, and duty tour allowances between July and September 2024 alone.

According to data sourced from the organization, the humongous spending by the ministries and agencies is coming at a time Nigerians are going through severe hardship and hunger as a result of the policies of the Tinubu-led administration which has led to rising cost of living.

The report listed some of the ministries and agencies that have embarked on the spending spree to include the Federal Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Police Affairs, the Ministry of Youth Development, the Ministry of Women Affairs, the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

Others, according to GovSpend, are the Technical Aid Corps, the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission.

Giving a breakdown of the expenditure, the organization said the ministries and agencies spent N755,884,949.44 on Duty Tour Allowances and another N1,044,858,941.48 on estacodes and air tickets and foreign trips, totalling N1,800,743,930.92 spent between July and September 26, 2024.

Among the biggest spenders, according to the report, are the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, which spent N322m; the Ministry of Finance with a total spending of N187.2m; the ICPC with N150m, and the Ministry of Petroleum Resources with N108m all in the space of two months.

Speaking on the development, Debo Adeniran, the Chairman of the Centre for Accountability and Open Leadership, said the revelation is quite sad, while describing the released figures as “a wasteful expenditure.”

“We have advised the government that during these austere times, they should implement their policy that government officials should not spend on frivolities. We can even excuse the Ministry of Blue Economy because it is new, we are just learning about Blue Economy and how to make it work for us,” Adeniran said in a statement.

“But some other ministries have been operating for ages, and most Nigerians know what they are supposed to do and what they should not do. So, there is no reason for the Ministry of Women Affairs and several of them like that to spend so much on foreign trips and seminars.”

Zambian Finance and National Planning Minister, Situmbeko Musokotwane, has presented the 2025 national budget to the parliament totalling K217 billion which he said was designed to address the pressing drought-induced difficulties affecting the nation.

In a detailed address to parliament in Lusaka on Friday, Musokotwane said it was necessary for innovative revenue-generating strategies to bolster the economy and improve the livelihoods of citizens grappling with these adversities.

The proposed 2025 budget represents a significant increase from the 2024 budget which was K177.9 billion and has already been supplemented by an additional K41.9 billion aimed at mitigating the adverse impacts of the ongoing drought.

Musokotwane laid out a comprehensive strategy to secure funding for the budget and noted that to finance the ambitious budget, there are plans to mobilize K174.2 billion through domestic revenue, while also seeking K8.2 billion in grants from cooperating partners.

According to the minister, the remaining K34.7 billion would be raised through borrowing, reflecting the government’s commitment to addressing fiscal challenges head-on.

He added that there is a proposed Advance Income Tax set at 15 percent on remittances exceeding US$2,000, specifically targeting transactions conducted without a valid Tax Clearance Certificate.

This measure, Musokotwane said, is aimed at combating
illicit financial flows and ensure compliance among businesses and would also apply to non-compliant exporters.

Additionally, Musokotwane announced an upward revision of the corporate income tax rate from 15 percent to 20 percent on profits derived from the export of non-traditional products and value-added copper cathodes.

“The harmonisation is aimed at unifying the income tax regime over the medium term,” he said.

Other notable proposals included the introduction of a K2,500 fee for resident permit holders who remain outside Zambia for more than six months, aligning with international standards.

Musokotwane also proposed a 10 percent excise duty on betting amounts and a significant increase in excise duty on non-alcoholic beverages from the current 60 ngwee to K1 per litre.

Furthermore, he suggested a 20 percent increase in the bands for presumptive tax on motor vehicle operators transporting passengers.

These measures are strategically designed to support the government’s goal of achieving a 6.6 percent real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth in the coming year.