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In a statement signed by its Country Director, Dr. Andrew Mamedu, on Sunday in Abuja, the organisation said the President's remarks should spark a broader national conversation on how scarce public resources are allocated, stressing that the issue goes beyond flyovers to ensuring that public funds deliver tangible benefits to Nigerians.
According to ActionAid Nigeria, while infrastructure remains critical for national development, the country's challenge lies in a pattern of public expenditure that often prioritises prestige over people.
The organisation argued that at a time of widespread economic hardship, every naira of public money should provide measurable value to citizens. It therefore called on governments to review expenditures with limited public impact, including unnecessary prestige projects, luxury acquisitions, oversized government delegations, excessive official travel and discretionary spending lacking transparency and accountability.
ActionAid Nigeria cited figures released by the Budget Office of the Federation indicating that President Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima have a combined allocation of ₦9.36 billion in the proposed 2026 budget for local and foreign travel, food and refreshments. It noted, however, that the figure may not represent the full cost of official trips, as expenses for accompanying officials and operational support are often captured under separate budgets.
The organisation estimated that cutting the proposed allocation by 50 per cent would free about ₦4.68 billion for critical public services. Based on recently published government project costs, it said the amount could fund approximately 62 three-classroom school blocks, 208 solar-powered boreholes and five fully equipped primary healthcare centres across Nigeria.
Commenting on the issue, Dr. Mamedu said the debate was not simply about reducing expenditure but about redefining national priorities.
"This is not merely a question of reducing expenditure; it is about changing national priorities. Every unnecessary luxury purchase represents classrooms that were never built. Every unjustifiable trip represents medicines that never reached a primary healthcare centre.
"Every unaccounted security vote represents communities that continue to live in fear without knowing how public resources intended for their protection were spent. Every prestige project that fails to address citizens' needs represents another missed opportunity to reduce poverty and inequality. Public budgets are moral documents. They reveal whose interests governments choose to protect."
ActionAid Nigeria maintained that Nigeria's development challenges are driven less by a shortage of resources than by decisions on how those resources are spent.
The organisation called on the Federal Government and state governments to prioritise investment in quality education, primary healthcare, water and sanitation, food security, climate resilience and social protection. It also advocated reducing the cost of governance through cuts in unnecessary official travel, luxury purchases and oversized government delegations, while strengthening transparency and accountability in discretionary public spending, including security-related expenditures.