The Transparency and Accountability Group has called for an investigation into the use of public funds to finance the foreign travels of First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, following records indicating that $553,884 was released for five overseas trips between 2023 and 2024.

The group’s convener, Comrade Ayo Ologun, raised the demand after records obtained from GovSpend showed that the foreign exchange allocations were worth ₦700,707,534.55 based on the exchange rates applicable when the transactions were conducted.

Ologun questioned the legal basis for the expenditure, arguing that the Office of the First Lady is not established as a separate government office under Nigerian law and is not independently provided for in the national budget.

“Because her office is not recognized 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?” Ologun said.

GovSpend Records Show Five Foreign Trips

According to the GovSpend records cited in the report, the $553,884 covered foreign-exchange purchases connected to trips involving the First Lady to the United States, Mozambique, Ethiopia, the United Kingdom and France.

The records provide the destinations, stated travel dates, amounts of foreign exchange purchased and corresponding naira values. However, they reportedly do not provide details on the purpose of each trip, duration of the visits, size of the entourage or the total expenditure beyond the foreign-exchange component.

The first transaction involved a United States trip recorded for March 11, 2023. State House Operations purchased $94,314, with the transaction valued at ₦77,659,888.63 and paid for on November 17, 2023.

Four transactions recorded in 2024 amounted to $459,570, bringing the total for the five destinations to $553,884.

The largest 2024 allocation was $152,831 for a trip to France, valued at ₦149,794,284.71. Other transactions included $126,834 for Mozambique, $96,118 for Addis Ababa and $83,787 for London.

The four 2024 transactions had a combined naira value of ₦623,047,645.92.

The records cited contain no similar foreign-trip forex payments involving the First Lady for 2025 and 2026.

Activist Questions Legal Basis for Spending

Ologun argued that public funds should only be spent through legally recognised government structures and according to appropriations approved by the National Assembly.

“The office is not captured in our budget, because the office does not exist. So there is no way it could have a budget to legally pass by the National Assembly,” he said.

He also questioned where the money came from and the authority under which it was released.

“Where did that amount of money come from? If it is spent on the wife of the President, that is abuse of power,” Ologun stated.

The activist urged the relevant authorities to investigate both the expenditure and its legal basis, insisting that Nigerians have the right to know how public resources are being used.

“The office of the President should not only be investigated, but should be tried by the provisions of the law,” he added.

The allegations are based on the GovSpend records and Ologun’s interpretation of the legal status of the First Lady’s office; the reported figures represent the foreign-exchange component of the listed transactions, not necessarily the full cost of the trips.