By Bassey Udo
Despite President Bola Tinubu’s several foreign trips in 2025, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into the country recorded the least dividend during the year, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) report on capital importation has revealed.
The report said out of a total value of $5,120.50 million capital importation into the country in the third quarter of 2025, FDI accounted for just 4.93 percent, or $296.25 million.
Available records showed that President Tinubu made over 40 official trips to at least 23 countries around the world in 2025.
Most of the trips were to France, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, South Africa, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Senegal, Germany, Tanzania, United States of America, Equitorial Guinea, Benin Republic, Brazil, Kenya, Chad, India, Netherlands, China and Qatar.
Reports say the President and his deputy spent almost N10billion on foreign trips in 2025 alone.
Although the Presidency claimed the trips attracted over $50billion into the country as FDI, the report said the country realised a total of about $4,559.83m as capital importation during the reference period.
The bulk of capital importation originated largely from the United Kingdom with $2,935.41 million, or 48.80% of the total value, followed by the United States with $950.47 million (15.80%) and the Republic of South Africa with $773.95 million (12.87%).
Details of the report showed that Portfolio Investment ranked top with $4,853.96 million, or 80.70% of the total value, followed by other investments with $864.57 million, or 14.37%.
Comparatively, the total capital importation into Nigeria in the second quarter of 2025 of $5,120.50 million was higher than $2,604.50 million recorded in the corresponding period in 2024, an increase of 96.60%.
However, the value decreased by 9.24% from $5,642.07 million when compared with value in the first quarter of 2025.
Similarly, in the third quarter of 2025, total capital importation into Nigeria of $6,014.77 million was higher than $1,252.66 million recorded in the corresponding period in 2024, an increase of about 380.16%.
In comparison to the preceding quarter, capital importation increased by 17.46% from $5,120.50 million in Q2 2025.
A sector by sector review of the report showed that the Banking sector recorded the highest inflow with $3,142.69 million, or 52.25% of total capital imported in Q3 2025, followed by the Financing sector, valued at about $1,855.66 million, or 30.85%, and Production/ Manufacturing sector with $261.35 million, or 4.35%.
In terms of institutional performance, Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria Limited received the highest capital importation into Nigeria in Q3 2025 with $2,115.13 million (35.17%), followed by Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc with $1,789.69 million (29.75%), and Citibank Nigeria Limited with $1561.40 million (9.33%).
