State governments spent at least N512.10bn on Government Houses, governors’ offices and travel-related expenses during the first six months of 2026, according to an analysis of state budget implementation reports.
The expenditure was recorded across 33 states for which complete comparable data were available. Edo, Osun and Rivers were excluded because the relevant figures were not available.
The analysis showed that N420.01bn was spent under Government House, Governor’s Office and related executive administration budget lines, while another N92.09bn went to travel and transport.
Combined, the expenditure was about 4,713 times the N108.65m that would represent the six-month salaries of all 36 state governors based on the reported monthly salary of N503,000 per governor.
The figures, however, do not represent money paid directly to governors. Government House and Governor’s Office expenditure covers a broad range of costs, including administration, staffing, official residences, utilities, maintenance, protocol, security-related activities and state functions.
Similarly, the travel and transport allocation includes official trips and transportation expenses across the wider state public service.
The findings therefore highlight the wider cost of maintaining the offices of state governors rather than their personal earnings.
Spending lower than 2025
The available figures show that spending under the relevant executive administration and travel heads declined compared with the first half of 2025.
During the corresponding period last year, N465.07bn was recorded under Government House, Governor’s Office and similar executive administration heads, while N92.73bn went to travel and transport.
The combined 2025 figure was N557.80bn, meaning the 2026 expenditure of N512.10bn represented a reduction of about N45.70bn, or 8.19 per cent.
Government House and Governor’s Office expenditure accounted for most of the decline, falling by N45.05bn, or 9.69 per cent, from N465.07bn in 2025 to N420.01bn in 2026.
Travel spending, on the other hand, remained almost unchanged. The N92.09bn recorded in 2026 was only N643.66m, or 0.69 per cent, below the N92.73bn spent during the same period in 2025.
Kogi records highest office expenditure
Kogi recorded the highest identifiable spending on Government House and Governor’s Office during the first half of 2026, with N65.34bn.
Ogun followed with N45.26bn, while Lagos recorded N45.04bn.
Other states with sizeable expenditure included Kano, with N25.87bn; Ekiti, N25.22bn; Cross River, N23.92bn; Bayelsa, N22.99bn; Imo, N19.43bn; and Enugu, N16.20bn.
At the lower end were Oyo, with about N1.95bn; Sokoto, N2.20bn; Kwara, N2.59bn; and Abia, N2.78bn.
Kogi’s N65.34bn alone accounted for more than 15 per cent of the identifiable Government House and Governor’s Office expenditure in the dataset.
Plateau leads travel spending
Plateau State recorded the highest identifiable travel and transport expenditure during the period, at N10.11bn.
Lagos followed with N8.23bn, while Taraba spent N5.16bn.
Niger recorded N4.45bn, Ekiti N4.41bn, Bauchi N3.75bn and Yobe N3.68bn.
Oyo had one of the lowest identifiable travel expenditures at N667.52m, while Kano recorded N626.95m.
Wide differences among states
The figures also revealed significant variations in spending patterns between 2025 and 2026.
Kogi’s Government House and Governor’s Office expenditure rose from N51.99bn in the first half of 2025 to N65.34bn in 2026, representing an increase of about N13.34bn, or 25.66 per cent.
Cross River recorded an even sharper percentage increase, with spending rising from N9.91bn to N23.92bn, an increase of N14.01bn, or 141.37 per cent.
Bayelsa’s expenditure increased from N14.48bn to N22.99bn, representing a rise of N8.51bn, or 58.75 per cent.
Lagos also recorded a substantial increase, from N25.86bn in 2025 to N45.04bn in 2026, an increase of N19.18bn, or 74.16 per cent.
Some states recorded reductions. Ogun’s spending fell from N49.83bn to N45.26bn, while Kano’s declined from N28.84bn to N25.87bn.
Economist questions cost of executive offices
Development economist Aliyu Ilias said the figures demonstrated why discussions about governors’ remuneration should not focus solely on their basic salaries.
According to him, the cost of running executive offices and the privileges associated with political office significantly increases the public resources committed to governors.
Ilias argued that Nigeria’s political system had made executive offices particularly expensive to maintain, adding that weak oversight by state assemblies could contribute to the problem.
His comments came against the backdrop of recent remarks by Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, who said governors earn N503,000 monthly and noted that some senior civil servants, including permanent secretaries, receive higher monthly salaries.
The new expenditure analysis suggests that the basic salary of a governor represents only a small fraction of the total public resources devoted to maintaining the office.
Revenue increase raises scrutiny
The spending figures also come amid increased allocations to state governments following the Federal Government’s economic reforms.
Available Ministry of Finance data showed that N47.25tn was distributed through the Federation Account between 2023 and 2025, accounting for more than half of the N93.13tn shared between 2017 and 2025.
With states receiving increased revenues, attention has consequently shifted towards how much of the additional funds are being channelled into infrastructure, social services and other development priorities.
The latest figures underline the wider fiscal burden of maintaining state executive structures.
While governors’ official salaries may appear relatively modest, the cost of running Government Houses, executive offices, official functions and travel runs into hundreds of billions of naira.
The figures therefore raise a broader question about public expenditure: beyond what governors earn personally, how much does it cost taxpayers to maintain the institutions and privileges attached to the offices they occupy?
