MDAs spend N11.8bn on fuel in four months

The Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the Federal Government have spent N11.85bn on fuel for motor vehicles and generators between January and April 2026, as elevated domestic petrol prices and renewed Iran-US tensions continue to raise concerns over energy costs and global oil market stability.

An analysis of data obtained from the Open Treasury Portal by The PUNCH showed that the amount represented a 113.4 per cent increase from the N5.55bn spent on the same items in the corresponding period of 2025.

The Open Treasury Portal is the Federal Government’s public financial transparency platform, which publishes budget implementation, payment and fiscal data of ministries, departments and agencies to improve accountability in public spending.

While the Open Treasury Portal does not disclose a detailed breakdown by ministry, department or agency under the expenditure category, the figures represent fuel and related operating costs incurred by Federal Government entities financed from the federal budget.

The data showed that motor vehicle fuel cost rose by 108.2 per cent from N3.17bn in the first four months of 2025 to N6.60bn in the same period of 2026.

In April 2026 alone, the government spent N2.94bn on motor vehicle fuel, compared with N1.73bn in April 2025. The approved budget for motor vehicle fuel also increased from N122.63bn in 2025 to N207.37bn in 2026, indicating an increase of N84.74bn or 69.1 per cent.

Despite the rise, only 3.18 per cent of the 2026 motor vehicle fuel budget had been spent as of April, leaving a balance of N200.77bn. Spending on plant and generator fuel also rose sharply from N2.38bn in the first four months of 2025 to N5.24bn in the same period of 2026, representing an increase of N2.86bn or 120.3 per cent.