Transparency and Accountability Group convener, Comrade Ayo Ologun, has called for an investigation into public funds allegedly used to finance the foreign travels of First Lady Oluremi Tinubu.
Ologun’s call followed records obtained from GovSpend, which indicate that a total of $553,884 was released in foreign exchange for five overseas trips involving the First Lady between 2023 and 2024.
The amount, converted at the exchange rates applicable when the transactions were conducted, was equivalent to ₦700,707,534.55.
The records covered trips to the United States, Mozambique, Ethiopia, the United Kingdom and France.
According to the information contained in the records, the transactions included the destination, travel date, amount of foreign exchange purchased and corresponding naira value. However, they did not provide details about the purpose of the trips, their duration, the size of the entourage or other expenses associated with the visits.
Speaking with Daily Trust, Ologun questioned the legal basis for financing the trips with public funds.
He argued that the Office of the First Lady is not established as a separate government office under Nigerian law and does not have a distinct budget approved by the National Assembly.
Ologun said the issue goes beyond determining whether financial regulations were followed, insisting that the government must also consider whether public resources were being unnecessarily expended.
He said, “Because her office is not recognised by the law, and there is nothing like the office of the wife of the President, but because we have seemingly adapted to it as a people, by giving acknowledgment to an office that is not legally backed, if it is established that public money was spent on supposed official travels, the question should be: what is the duty?”
The activist added that government authorities had a responsibility to protect the nation’s resources from unnecessary depletion.
He described the alleged expenditure as a depletion of public wealth and urged the relevant authorities to establish the source and legal authorisation for the funds.
The GovSpend records show that the first transaction involved a United States trip dated March 11, 2023. State House Operations purchased $94,314 for the trip, with the transaction reportedly valued at ₦77,659,888.63 when payment was made on November 17, 2023.
In 2024, four additional transactions linked to overseas trips involving the First Lady amounted to $459,570.
The largest transaction was $152,831 for a trip to France scheduled for April 1, 2024. The transaction was valued at ₦149,794,284.71.
Another $126,834 was purchased for a trip to Mozambique in March 2024, with the transaction valued at ₦202,386,198.09.
A further $96,118 was listed for a trip to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, reportedly scheduled for September 2, 2024. The transaction was valued at ₦144,571,785.46.
The fourth 2024 transaction involved $83,787 for a London trip, with the payment valued at ₦126,295,377.66.
The four 2024 transactions had a combined value of $459,570, equivalent to ₦623,047,645.92.
When added to the $94,314 allocated for the 2023 United States trip, the total stood at $553,884, equivalent to ₦700,707,534.55.
The records reportedly contain no similar foreign-exchange transactions for overseas trips involving the First Lady in 2025 and 2026.
Ologun maintained that public expenditure associated with the Office of the First Lady should be subjected to scrutiny because the office is not separately provided for in the national budget.
He also questioned where the funds came from and the authority under which they were released.
“If it is spent on the wife of the President, that is abuse of power,” he said.
The activist urged Nigerians and relevant government agencies to demand greater transparency and accountability, calling for an investigation into both the expenditure and the legal basis for using public funds to finance the foreign trips.
He further argued that public resources must be spent strictly in accordance with the law.
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