PLSG Says ₦10.11bn Travel Spent Covers MDAs, Pilgrims, Training, Not Governor’s Trips Alone

Our Reporter

The Plateau State Government has clarified that the ₦10.11 billion reported as spent on “travel and transport” in the first six months of 2026 was not spent on the Governor’s trips alone but covered the entire public service, including MDAs, tertiary institutions, the judiciary, and the State Assembly.

In a statement issued August 27 by the Commissioner for Information and Communication, Rt. Hon. Joyce Lohya Ramnap, the government said the figure was being misrepresented in a recent analytical news report.

“For the avoidance of doubt, Government wishes to set the record straight; the said amount does not represent expenditure on the travels of the Governor or Government House,” the statement said. “It is an aggregate expenditure covering travel, transport and related activities across the wider Plateau State public service.”

According to the government, the largest components of the expenditure include the Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, leave passage entitlements across the public service, and training-related travels by MDAs. Other major items listed include the training of Plateau State University lecturers abroad, the Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board, judicial travel, and approved official travel for the Plateau State House of Assembly.

The statement also noted that the spending covered the government’s sponsorship of 200 students on scholarship to India, medical assistance to citizens abroad, and other official engagements “undertaken in the interest of the State and its people.”

Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang undertook only three international trips between January and June 2026, the period covered by the report, the government said.

In January, he travelled to the United States for the Presidential Prayer Breakfast. In March, he was part of the President’s delegation to the United Kingdom, and in June he returned to the UK for an international dialogue on multi-faith coexistence.

“The administration places a high premium on the training and retraining of public servants as a critical component of bridging manpower gaps, strengthening institutional capacity and equipping personnel with the requisite skills,” the statement added. It said the Governor used the foreign trips to pursue partnerships in tourism and other sectors aimed at attracting investment and improving living conditions in Plateau.

The Mutfwang administration reaffirmed its commitment to “transparency, accountability, prudence and responsible management of public resources,” and promised to continue providing “accurate and verifiable information on its expenditures.”

“We will remain open, accountable and responsive, while continuing to uphold the highest standards of financial discipline,” the government assured citizens.

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