FG, Oyo, Gombe, 5 other states spend N360bn on govt house renovations

A new fad among governors seems to be emerging, which takes wasteful and corrupt spending of public funds to a whole new level and relates to the building and renovation of Government Houses, while critical public needs suffer.

The supposed increase in revenue to states as a result of the removal of fuel subsidy appears to be forcing governors to find new ways to divert the excess money accruing to them instead of deploying it to better public use.

Since FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, renovated the Aguda House with N24 billion in 2024 and the International Conference Center (ICC) with N38 billion, more governors have joined the race of building new Government Houses and renovating old ones to befit their status.

In the past few years, attention has been focused on the huge amounts of money being used to either build or renovate Government Houses, amidst high levels of poverty and want, ravaging the common people in Nigeria. Some of these spending are regarded as unnecessary and a big drain on the states.

As of today, virtually all the 36 states of the federation, along with the Federal Government and the Presidency, have sunk several billions into renovating their official residences, which Wikipedia says can’t be totally or centrally quantified but would run into several trillions of naira.

Secret Spending

It was further indicated that “It is difficult to provide an exact total cost for the renovation of all 37 (36 states and FCT) governors’ official residences, while public information regarding these costs is often not readily available or consolidated in a single report.”

Again, according to NILDS, “these projects are typically funded by state governments and are part of their annual budgets, with the preparation and approval of these budgets handled by the Executive and Legislative arms of the government.”

“That is why it’s hard to get a precise figure due to lack of centralized reporting, and there’s no single mandated reporting system for these renovations across all states.”

Furthermore, it was said that the extent of renovations “differs greatly between states, depending on the condition of the existing residence and the governor’s tastes and preferences.”

According to reports, the costs are often determined by those in power and the gadgets and accessories to be put in place, which often balloon the final cost.

Other factors that affect costs include security and sensitive items, which are not usually discussed during budgeting but naturally hike the total project cost when disclosed.

A member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State told Business Hallmark that just like Governor Seyi Makinde was defending the huge amount earmarked for the renovation of the Government House project, “renovation costs depend on the fluctuations in prices of materials, contractor bids, and unforeseen issues discovered during the work.”

Also, the Presidential Lodge at Dodan Barracks in Lagos and that of the Vice President in Ikoyi, Lagos, both gulped about N16.7 billion.

Apart from the President and his Vice at the Presidency, the Chief of Staff to the President, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, also benefited from the renovation programmes of government, as N10 billion was allocated to renovate his official residence. The money was just part of the N24 billion slated to be spent in his capacity as Chief of Staff to the President and for other items attached to his office.

The Mother of Renovations

For instance, the Oyo State Government House renovation, estimated at N63.5 billion, appears to be the most talked about and most criticised, with condemnations coming from all angles.

A public affairs analyst in Ibadan, Kazeem Olalekan Israel, called on well-meaning citizens of Oyo State to rise against the project, saying, “The governor is essentially telling the people, ‘I’ll live in luxury while you endure poverty.’”

He argued that with Oyo State ranked among those with the highest numbers of out-of-school children and poor health indices, “this project is not only tone-deaf; it is immoral. It shows a disconnect from the real and immediate needs of the people.”

“If the governor had taken these funds and deployed them into building modern classrooms, equipping science labs, revamping primary healthcare centres, or fixing the state’s water infrastructure, he would have been praised. Instead, he has chosen opulence over the people. This is not just poor judgment; it is a fundamental failure in leadership,” he pointed out.

He further argued, “To be clear, no one denies that the Government House may need renovation after years of neglect.

“But the question remains: Why now? Why this much? Why wasn’t it done in his first term? Why spend this much during a period of economic uncertainty and rising debt repayments?”

Also, the embattled suspended governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, before his suspension, had earmarked over N28 billion on renovations, including N3.5 billion to renovate the governor’s residence in 2025, after he had spent N3.2 billion on the same project in 2024.

The suspended governor also spent another sum of N1.164 billion in the 2023 fiscal year on the same renovation of the governor’s residence.

A review of the approved 2025 budget for the Rivers State government shows that a sum of N3.5 billion was earmarked for the renovation of the governor’s residence.

This budget is despite the fact that a sum of N3.2 billion was spent on the same between January and June 2024, per details in the budget document released by the state government.

Another sum of N1.164 billion was spent in the 2023 fiscal year on renovating the governor’s residence, while another N2.6 billion was budgeted for renovating Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s office building.

It was also stated in the 2025 budget that a sum of N1.5 billion was earmarked for renovating the First Lady’s office building under the tag “Renovating Her Excellency’s Office Building.”

A sum of N1.5 billion was also earmarked for the renovation of the Banquet Hall of Government House; rehabilitation of the new Presidential Lodge residential building is expected to gulp N1.8 billion; renovation of four Eleme Guest Houses is expected to cost N1.311 billion; renovation of Government House jetty is earmarked for N610 million; and renovation of the Government House auditorium is planned for N1.2 billion.

It was said the money could have been channelled to cater for about “2.52 million poor persons in Rivers State, including 77% of households that lack access to sanitary facilities and 58% that lack access to clean drinking water.”

In Osun State, it is still unclear the actual amount the government of Governor Ademola Adeleke spent to renovate the Government House. This is why the government and the opposition, the All Progressives Congress (APC), are at loggerheads over the already completed project.

The APC accused Governor Adeleke of spending N18 billion on the renovation, but the government denied that any such amount was spent, describing the APC as a “lying machine.”

The spokesperson to the governor, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, argued that the government rejected the fake news that the state government spent N18 billion on the renovation of the Government House. “It is a figment of the imagination of failed men of yesterday. Rather than sponsoring falsehood, we urge the APC to accept it failed while it governed Osun State and be brave enough to commend the present government for succeeding where it recorded mass failure.”

Also, Governor Abba Yusuf of Kano State budgeted N5.32 billion for renovations.

This project has been widely condemned by people in the state, especially the opposition, who said, “Renovating the Government House and governor’s lodge at Kwankwasiyya City at a time when residents of the state are facing economic hardship is insensitive. Available funds should be used to alleviate the sufferings of vulnerable citizens.”

It was also pointed out that Kano State requires strong financial commitments to solve health problems and tackle the issue raised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), which noted that Nigeria has more than 20 million out-of-school children, with Kano having the fourth-highest number among the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

The Niger State government disclosed that over N3.7 billion is being used for the renovation, rehabilitation, and reconstruction of the Government House, according to the Commissioner of Works, Zakari Jikantoro, during a media chat in Minna.

He said the phase one of the renovation, which gulped N2.1 billion, had been concluded, while phase two has been contracted out at the cost of N1.6 billion.

The Commissioner said the renovation was long overdue, as the Government House had been neglected and was gradually decaying. He added that the volume of work needed to be split into two to ease the workload.

Jamborees in States

Other states captured in the Government House renovation saga include Gombe, with N43.1 billion, and Bauchi, with N16.1 billion.

Although many of the governors have been criticised for prioritising Government House projects, it has been argued that of all the present governors who carried out the renovations of their respective residences, only Governor Alex Otti of Abia State did not put that project as a priority when he took office two years ago.

Reports indicated that he did not make the renovation a top policy until he had addressed more pressing needs of the people. It was confirmed that the reconstruction and upgrade of the Abia Government House and Governor’s Office in Umuahia are now in full swing.

He explained that he deliberately put the renovation project on hold to concentrate on urgent needs directly beneficial to the people.

According to him, “Renovation was deferred to focus on public welfare. My government chose to initially prioritise critical needs of the people, like workers’ salaries, healthcare, and education.”

“We didn’t think this place (Government House) was more important than your salaries. We didn’t think this place was more important than primary healthcare centres, our schools, or making education free at the basic level,” the governor pointed out.

Anambra State, under Governor Charles Soludo, built a new city to serve as the Government House. Awarded in 2022, the project comprises the governor’s office and all the ministries, and is estimated to cost N6 billion.