Thirty-three state governments spent a combined N512.10 billion on Government Houses, Governors’ Offices and travel and transport in the first six months of 2026, according to an analysis of state budget implementation reports.

The expenditure is about 4,713 times higher than the combined six-month basic salaries of Nigeria’s 36 governors, highlighting the significant public cost of maintaining the executive structures attached to the offices of state governors.

A governor’s official monthly salary of N503,000 amounts to N3.018 million over six months, while the combined salary of all 36 governors would total approximately N108.65 million during the period.

By comparison, available records showed that N420.01 billion was spent under Government House, Governor’s Office and related executive administration budget heads, while N92.09 billion went to travel and transport.

Together, the expenditure amounted to N512.10 billion, with the combined six-month salaries of all governors accounting for only about 0.02 per cent of the identified spending.

The figures come amid renewed debate over the salaries and overall cost of maintaining Nigeria’s political offices.

Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, recently disclosed that his monthly salary was N503,000, noting that some senior civil servants, including permanent secretaries, earn about N900,000 monthly.

However, the analysis indicates that the basic salary of governors represents only a small fraction of the wider public expenditure associated with running their offices.

Government House and Governor’s Office allocations cover several official expenses, including administrative operations, staff, protocol, maintenance, official residences, utilities, security-related activities and state functions.

Similarly, travel and transport expenditure covers official local and international trips, transportation and related expenses across the state public service.

A development economist, Aliyu Ilias, said focusing solely on governors’ basic salaries could give a misleading impression of the overall cost of maintaining the offices.

Ilias argued that executive offices had become increasingly expensive to operate, partly because political office holders wield considerable influence over the structures and funding of institutions under their control.

He said the extensive privileges and expenses attached to political offices should be considered when assessing the actual cost of governance.

The analysis was based on available first- and second-quarter 2026 Budget Implementation Reports, using the largest identifiable Government House, Governor’s Office or executive administration expenditure line in each state, alongside the general travel and transport expenditure head.

Complete data were available for 28 states, including Abia, Adamawa, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Borno, Cross River, Ebonyi, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Oyo, Plateau, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara.

Comparable data were unavailable for Edo, Osun and Rivers states.

For the corresponding period of 2025, available records showed N465.07 billion spent under Government House, Governor’s Office and similar executive administration heads, while N92.73 billion was recorded for travel and transport, bringing the total to N557.80 billion.

The 2026 figure therefore represents a decline of about N45.70 billion, or 8.19 per cent, compared with the comparable 2025 expenditure.

Government House and Governor’s Office spending accounted for most of the reduction, falling from N465.07 billion in the first half of 2025 to N420.01 billion in 2026, a decrease of N45.05 billion, or 9.69 per cent.

Travel and transport spending remained relatively stable, declining marginally from N92.73 billion to N92.09 billion, a difference of about N643.66 million, or 0.69 per cent.

Kogi recorded the highest identifiable Government House and Governor’s Office expenditure in the 2026 dataset at N65.34 billion, followed by Ogun with N45.26 billion and Lagos with N45.04 billion.

Kano recorded N25.87 billion, Ekiti N25.22 billion and Cross River N23.92 billion, while Bayelsa spent N22.99 billion, Imo N19.43 billion and Enugu N16.20 billion.

At the lower end, Oyo recorded about N1.95 billion, Sokoto N2.20 billion, Kwara N2.59 billion and Abia N2.78 billion.

Kogi’s expenditure alone accounted for more than 15 per cent of the identifiable Government House and Governor’s Office spending captured in the dataset.

For travel and transport, Plateau recorded the highest identifiable expenditure at N10.11 billion, followed by Lagos with N8.23 billion and Taraba with N5.16 billion.

Niger spent N4.45 billion, Ekiti N4.41 billion, Bauchi N3.75 billion and Yobe N3.68 billion. Oyo recorded about N667.52 million, while Kano recorded N626.95 million.

The data also revealed significant differences in spending patterns between 2025 and 2026.

Kogi’s Government House and Governor’s Office expenditure rose from N51.99 billion in the first half of 2025 to N65.34 billion in 2026, representing an increase of N13.34 billion, or 25.66 per cent.

Bayelsa’s spending increased from N14.48 billion to N22.99 billion, while Cross River recorded a rise from N9.91 billion to N23.92 billion.

Lagos also recorded a significant increase, with identifiable spending rising from N25.86 billion in 2025 to N45.04 billion in 2026, an increase of N19.18 billion, or 74.16 per cent.

Ogun, however, recorded a decline from N49.83 billion to N45.26 billion, while Kano’s spending fell from N28.84 billion to N25.87 billion.

The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) is constitutionally responsible for determining the remuneration of governors and other political office holders. The existing remuneration framework remains in force as a broader review is processed by the relevant authorities.

The spending comes amid increased revenue inflows to state governments following the Federal Government’s economic reforms and higher allocations from the Federation Account.

The increased revenue has intensified scrutiny of how states utilise public funds and whether additional resources are translating into improved infrastructure and public services.

The figures underscore the distinction between governors’ official salaries and the broader cost of maintaining their offices, Government Houses, administrative structures and official travel.

While the basic salary of a governor may appear modest, the wider expenditure associated with the office runs into hundreds of billions of naira, raising broader questions about the overall cost of governance and the management of public resources at the state level.