By NaijaonpointOnline
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) recorded a staggering ₦1.826 billion in air-ticket and visa-related expenditure in 2024, according to financial documents reviewed by NaijaonpointOnline.
The figures raise serious questions over the number of officials who travelled, the destinations involved, the class of travel purchased and the actual cost incurred per passenger.
The expenditure comprises ₦57.75 million for board travel tickets, ₦1.045 billion for foreign-training tickets, ₦687.5 million for air tickets to international meetings and conferences, and ₦35.99 million for visa procurement.
Yet, the expenditure entries reviewed reportedly do not provide corresponding passenger numbers, travel routes, cabin classes or a detailed cost-per-traveller breakdown.
That missing information makes it difficult to independently determine how the enormous expenditure was calculated or whether the amounts represented reasonable costs for the number of officials who travelled.
₦1.045BN FOR FOREIGN-TRAINING TICKETS
The largest single expenditure was ₦1,045,320,376 reportedly spent on air tickets for foreign training.
Based on the 2024 airfare benchmarks cited in the documents, the amount could theoretically purchase approximately 871 return economy tickets at ₦1.2 million each, or about 435 tickets at ₦2.4 million each.
Using business-class benchmarks, the same expenditure could represent approximately 275 tickets at ₦3.8 million each, or around 151 tickets at ₦6.9 million each.
The critical issue, however, is that the expenditure entry does not clearly state how many NIMASA officials travelled, their destinations, airlines used or the cabin classes purchased.
₦687.5M FOR INTERNATIONAL MEETINGS AND CONFERENCES
NIMASA also recorded another ₦687.5 million for air tickets to international meetings and conferences.
At a hypothetical return fare of ₦1.2 million, the amount could cover approximately 572 international return trips.
At ₦2.4 million per ticket, it could represent approximately 286 trips.
Using business-class benchmarks of ₦3.8 million and ₦6.9 million, the same expenditure would equate to roughly 180 and 99 return journeys respectively.
Again, the available expenditure description does not provide sufficient passenger or itinerary details to independently reconcile the figure.
₦57.75M BOARD TRAVEL BILL ALSO RAISES QUESTIONS
Another ₦57.75 million was recorded for board travel tickets.
Using the same airfare benchmarks, the expenditure could theoretically cover approximately 48 return tickets at ₦1.2 million each, 24 at ₦2.4 million, or about 15 at ₦3.8 million.
The documents reviewed by NaijaonpointOnline also reportedly contain what appears to be a duplicated entry relating to the board travel-ticket expenditure, an issue that requires clarification from the agency.
₦35.99M SPENT ON VISA PROCUREMENT
The visa component adds another layer to the expenditure.
NIMASA reportedly recorded ₦35,987,500 for visa procurement connected to foreign training, although the countries involved were not specified in the documents reviewed.
Using broad 2024 Nigerian market benchmarks of between ₦140,000 and ₦300,000 per application, the expenditure could theoretically correspond to approximately 257 applications at ₦140,000, 179 applications at ₦200,000, or nearly 120 applications at ₦300,000 each.
However, the available records do not clearly indicate the number of applications processed, countries involved, visa categories, rejected applications or additional processing charges.
NEARLY ₦1.8BN SPENT ON AIR TICKETS ALONE
Excluding the visa expenditure, the three ticket categories amount to approximately ₦1.79 billion.
At a hypothetical average of ₦1.2 million per return ticket, the amount could represent approximately 1,492 international return tickets.
At ₦2.4 million per ticket, it could represent approximately 746 return tickets.
Even using the higher business-class benchmarks, the expenditure could still account for hundreds of international journeys.
These calculations do not mean that NIMASA actually purchased those exact numbers of tickets. Rather, they demonstrate the extraordinary scale of the expenditure and the need for a detailed breakdown showing exactly how the money was spent.
TRACKNEWS ONLINE QUESTIONS NIMASA
Against the backdrop of the figures, several questions demand answers:
How many NIMASA officials travelled under each expenditure line?
Which countries and cities did they visit?
Which airlines were used?
What cabin classes were purchased?
What was the average cost per traveller?
How many officials attended each foreign training, meeting or conference?
Were the tickets purchased directly by NIMASA or through travel agencies?
What procurement process was followed?
How many visa applications were processed, approved or rejected?
Why do the expenditure descriptions reportedly lack basic passenger and itinerary details?
These questions are particularly important given the scale of the expenditure.
For an agency entrusted with managing critical aspects of Nigeria’s maritime sector, transparency and accountability in the use of public funds remain essential.
NO PROOF OF WRONGDOING — BUT ANSWERS ARE NEEDED
NaijaonpointOnline stresses that the figures reviewed do not, on their own, establish fraud, diversion or financial misconduct.
However, the magnitude of the expenditure and the absence of readily identifiable passenger, destination and travel-class details raise legitimate questions that deserve a transparent response.
NIMASA, under Director-General Dr. Dayo Mobereola, has the opportunity to clarify the expenditure by providing relevant supporting documentation, including passenger manifests, travel itineraries, invoices, visa records and procurement documents.
Until such details are made available, one question continues to hang over the ₦1.826 billion travel and visa expenditure:
HOW MANY PEOPLE ACTUALLY TRAVELLED, WHERE DID THEY GO — AND HOW MUCH DID EACH TRIP COST?
NaijaonpointOnline