Presidential Defiance or Essential Diplomacy: The N230 Million Travel Scandal Rocking Nigeria’s Export Council

A high-stakes auditing showdown has erupted within the Nigerian federal government as the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation (OAGF) formally queried Mrs. Nonye Ayeni, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC). The audit alleges a brazen disregard for fiscal authority, claiming the trade boss spent over N230 million on 15 international trips in a single year, directly violating a presidential ban on publicly funded foreign travel.

A Trail of Frequent Flying

The audit report provides a granular breakdown of Mrs. Ayeni’s 2024 itinerary, which investigators describe as a case of “financial rascality.” Despite President Bola Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope Agenda” designed to slash administrative waste, the NEPC head reportedly maintained a grueling global schedule:

• Q1 2024: Four international trips.
• Q2 2024: Two international trips.
• Q3 2024: Two international trips.
• Q4 2024: Seven international trips.

Current federal regulations strictly limit agency heads to two publicly funded trips per quarter. Furthermore, the audit highlights that several of these journeys occurred after April 1, 2024, the date a total suspension on non-essential foreign travel was enacted by the Chief of Staff to the President.

Overlapping Dates and Private Interests

Perhaps the most damaging sections of the report involve “logistical impossibilities” and potential conflicts of interest. Auditors discovered instances where Mrs. Ayeni collected funds for multiple global events with overlapping or back-to-back dates, including trade shows in Las Vegas, ministerial conferences in Abu Dhabi, and delegations in Qatar and Ghana. The OAGF noted a lack of documentation proving her attendance at all these locations, suggesting that estacodes may not have been refunded for missed days.

The audit also flagged a specific N16.8 million payment for a trip to Paris in November 2024. The purpose was to attend the opening of a Zenith Bank branch. Investigators argued this was a private engagement linked to Mrs. Ayeni’s previous employment at the bank rather than an official NEPC mandate, labeling the use of taxpayer funds for the trip as “reckless.”

Institutional Backlash

The OAGF did not mince words, describing the expenditures as a “direct affront to the Presidency” and a “drain on the nation.” The report accuses the NEPC leadership of traveling with oversized entourages and ignoring circulars from the Secretary to the Government of the Federation aimed at enforcing prudence.

The audit’s conclusion is firm: a recommendation for the immediate and total recovery of the N230,540,843 spent on these disallowed trips.

The Council’s Defense

In response to these allegations, NEPC spokesperson Aliu Seidu Sadiq dismissed the claims as incorrect. He maintained that the nature of the council’s work requires international presence, stating that one cannot market Nigerian products effectively from home. He further noted that he was unaware of any such audit query involving the specified amount.

As the presidency continues its push for fiscal discipline, this case stands as a critical litmus test for whether high-ranking officials will be held accountable to the very cost-cutting measures they are tasked to implement.