During the first half of 2026, thirty-three Nigerian states spent a total of at least N512.10 billion on Government Houses, Governors’ Offices, as well as travel and transport costs. This analysis is based on state budget implementation reports.
This amount is roughly 4,713 times greater than the combined official salaries of Nigeria’s 36 governors for six months.
Each governor’s monthly salary amounts to N503,000, translating to N3.018 million for six months. Collectively, the six-month salaries for all governors reach about N108.65 million.
In contrast, records indicate N420.01 billion was allocated to Government House, Governor’s Office, and related executive administration expenses, while an additional N92.09 billion was used for travel and transport.
These figures do not reflect the governors’ personal earnings. Expenditures for Government House and Governor’s Office include administration, staff, protocol, maintenance, utilities, security activities, and other executive government functions.
Travel and transport expenses cover official trips and related costs across the wider public service of the state.
The analysis utilized budget implementation reports from the first and second quarters of 2026. Complete data were available for 30 states, while comparable data were missing for Edo, Osun, and Rivers.
The findings illustrate the substantial public cost involved in maintaining the offices and administrative frameworks around state governors, extending beyond their official salaries.
For comparison, in the first half of 2025, N557.80 billion was reported under similar executive administration and travel categories.
