According to the report, the state allocated approximately ₦63 billion for general miscellaneous expenses in its 2026 budget. By the end of June, cumulative spending under the category had reached ₦10.36 billion, representing about 16.3 per cent of the annual allocation.
The report also recorded ₦9.16 billion in expenditure during the second quarter alone.
Among the major items, hospitality expenses accounted for approximately ₦1.78 billion, while honorarium and sitting allowances amounted to about ₦1.21 billion during the six-month period.
₦1.21bn Spent on Sitting Allowances
The report showed that the Kano State Government budgeted approximately ₦2.57 billion for honorarium and sitting allowances in 2026.
By the end of June, spending on the item had reached ₦1.212 billion, representing about 47.1 per cent of the annual allocation.
The second-quarter report specifically listed approximately ₦1.207 billion under the category, indicating that a substantial portion of the expenditure was recorded during the three-month period.
The figures highlight the scale of spending on allowances and related payments within the state’s administrative expenditure.
Hospitality Takes ₦1.78bn
Hospitality expenses accounted for another significant portion of the state’s miscellaneous spending.
The government allocated approximately ₦3.19 billion for hospitality in the 2026 budget but had spent about ₦1.78 billion by the end of June, representing 55.6 per cent of the annual provision.
The report indicated that approximately ₦1.31 billion was recorded under hospitality expenses during the second quarter alone.
Publicity, Welfare and Meals
The state also recorded substantial expenditure on publicity and advertisements.
According to the report, Kano allocated approximately ₦4.16 billion for publicity and advertisements in 2026. Cumulative spending reached ₦1.49 billion by the end of June, representing 35.7 per cent of the budgeted amount.
For welfare packages, the government spent approximately ₦901.94 million during the first six months of the year against an annual allocation of ₦4.03 billion.
Meanwhile, expenditure on refreshments and meals stood at ₦116.53 million as of June 30. The amount represented about 7.6 per cent of the ₦1.54 billion allocated for the item in the 2026 budget.
Other Miscellaneous Expenses
The budget performance report also recorded approximately ₦3.80 billion under a separate heading for other miscellaneous expenses.
The state had allocated about ₦13.08 billion for this category in 2026, meaning expenditure by the end of June represented approximately 29 per cent of the annual provision.
Additional spending included ₦296.03 million for special days and celebrations, ₦64.62 million for local medical expenses and ₦40.30 million for international medical expenses.
These figures form part of the various subcategories captured under the state’s broader miscellaneous expenditure provisions.
Foreign Scholarship Spending
Outside the miscellaneous expenses category, the report also provided figures for the state’s foreign scholarship programme.
The Kano State Government spent approximately ₦162.95 million on foreign scholarships during the first half of 2026, representing about 0.6 per cent of the ₦26.23 billion allocated to the programme for the full fiscal year.
Questions Over Public Spending Priorities
The expenditure figures provide an overview of how the Kano State Government distributed funds across several administrative and operational budget lines during the first half of 2026.
The allocations cover different areas, including hospitality, publicity, allowances, welfare, meals, celebrations and medical expenses.
However, the figures alone do not establish whether the expenditures were improper or unlawful. Assessing the value and effectiveness of the spending would require further information about the specific payments, their purposes, supporting documentation and the outcomes achieved.
The figures are contained in the state’s second-quarter budget performance report, as reviewed by SaharaReporters.
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