Osun State Spends Heavily on Foreign Travels Amidst Development Challenges

A recent review of Osun State’s budget performance for the first half of 2025 has raised concerns over the state’s expenditure priorities.

According to the report, a staggering N3.1 billion was spent on international travels within just six months, sparking worries about the allocation of public funds.

The amount spent on foreign trips dwarfs the budget allocation for essential sectors like healthcare and education. For instance, the State Primary Healthcare Development Board received a mere fraction of the amount spent on international travels. Similarly, the Ministry of Water Resources and the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) received relatively modest funding compared to the lavish spending on foreign trips.

The state’s debt servicing costs are also alarming, with N12.097 billion paid out in the first half of 2025. This amount is nearly 40% of the state’s internally generated revenue during the same period.

Furthermore, the debt servicing costs exceed the combined expenditure of all the state’s tertiary institutions.

The budget performance has raised concerns about the state’s fiscal responsibility and its ability to address pressing development challenges.

Experts warn that the continued trend of lavish spending and rising debt servicing costs could hinder development and deepen fiscal challenges at the subnational level.