President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima will spend a combined N6.1 billion on foreign travels in 2026, according to details of the 2026 Appropriation Bill currently before the National Assembly.
Budget documents showed that the allocation for international trips is contained under the State House Operations votes for the president and the vice president.
Specifically, the Presidency is billed to spend N6.14 billion on international travel in 2026, while the Office of the Vice President will spend N1.31 billion on foreign trips during the same fiscal year.
The allocations form part of the N8.38 billion proposed for State House Operations (President) and N2.64 billion for State House Operations (Vice President) in the 2026 budget.
In another major provision, the Presidency has earmarked N7 billion for the solarisation of the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The project, listed as “Solarisation of the Villa with Solar Mini-Grid,” is captured under the capital expenditure of the State House Headquarters, which has a total allocation of N43.19 billion for 2026.
The solar project comes amid persistent instability in the national electricity grid, which has experienced repeated collapses in recent years, forcing public institutions and households to rely heavily on alternative power sources.
The budget also shows that the Presidency plans to spend N3.3 billion on the purchase and replacement of vehicles in 2026.
A breakdown of the figures indicates that N2.56 billion is earmarked for the purchase of State House operational vehicles, N768.9 million for the replacement of SUVs, and N115.4 million for tyres for bullet-proof vehicles, plain cars, ambulances and other operational vehicles.
These items are listed under capital projects of the State House Headquarters.
Beyond travel, power and vehicles, the federal government also budgeted N283.85 billion for presidential air fleet logistics and management in the 2026 fiscal year, including the operation of the national forest guard.
A presidential air fleet refers to a collection of aircraft designated for official use by a country’s president, heads of state and other high-ranking government officials.
The documents further show that a significant portion of the State House budget is devoted to maintenance and outstanding liabilities.
Specifically, N4.23 billion has been set aside for annual routine maintenance of mechanical, electrical and civil infrastructure within the Presidential Villa and other State House facilities.
In addition,N8.35 billion was allocated for Julius Berger liabilities, covering retention and outstanding works across several facilities in Abuja and Kaduna.
Recall that President Bola Tinubu presented the N58.18 trillion 2026 federal budget to a joint session of the National Assembly on December 19, 2025, following its approval by the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
On December 23, 2025, the Senate passed the 2026 Appropriation Bill for second reading.
The 2026 Appropriation Bill is currently undergoing legislative scrutiny, with lawmakers expected to examine the allocations as part of broader debates over fiscal priorities amid mounting economic pressures facing Nigerians.
Credit: Leadership