Atiku faults Tinubu over alleged N210bn budget duplication, demands forensic audit of 2026 appropriation

Former Vice President and Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC) Atiku Abubakar, has accused the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of fiscal recklessness, alleging that the discovery of more than N210 billion in duplicated and overlapping allocations in the 2026 federal budget underscores deep flaws in the government’s economic management.

Mr Atiku, in a statement issued on Saturday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication,  Phrank Shaibu, said the reported budget irregularities, coupled with what he described as Nigeria’s poor performance on global prosperity indices, have exposed the shortcomings of the administration’s economic reforms.

According to him, the latest revelations show that the country’s economic challenges are rooted not in a lack of resources but in what he called a failure of leadership and fiscal discipline.

“For more than three years, Nigerians have been subjected to relentless hardship. They were told that fuel subsidy removal, exchange rate unification, higher taxes and rising tariffs were bitter pills that would eventually restore economic stability. Yet today, the same government cannot explain how more than N210 billion found its way into duplicated and overlapping budget provisions,” Mr Atiku said.

He argued that any government demanding sacrifices from citizens must first demonstrate prudence and accountability in the management of public funds.

Instead, he alleged that the 2026 budget contains duplicated projects, overlapping allocations, questionable insertions and expenditures that undermine public confidence in the country’s fiscal framework.

The former vice president further claimed that the latest allegations were consistent with what he described as a pattern of questionable budgeting practices, including allocations for projects outside the statutory mandates of government agencies and controversial insertions running into billions of naira.

He accused the federal government of often dismissing concerns over budget irregularities before acknowledging them when confronted with evidence.

Mr Atiku also revisited the controversy surrounding the removal of petrol subsidy, alleging that Nigerians were misled about the policy.

Citing the audited 2024 financial statements of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, he claimed that the company recorded N7.13 trillion under what it described as “Energy Security Expenses,” which he argued amounted to subsidy payments under a different name.

According to him, the expenditure contradicts the government’s repeated assurances that fuel subsidy had been completely removed in 2023.

He said Nigerians deserve to know who authorised the expenditure, who benefited from it and why such spending was allegedly concealed under a different classification.

“The subsidy was not eliminated; it was merely repackaged, renamed and quietly charged against the Federation. A government that conceals N7.13 trillion behind a convenient euphemism while demanding sacrifice from millions of struggling citizens cannot claim the moral authority to preach reform, prudence or fiscal discipline,” he said.

Mr Atiku maintained that the integrity of the national budget is fundamental to economic planning, investor confidence and public trust, warning that duplicated allocations weaken confidence in government institutions.

He argued that while government officials continue to celebrate selected macroeconomic indicators, ordinary Nigerians are grappling with rising inflation, high transportation costs, unemployment, business closures and declining living standards.

According to him, the country’s worsening economic realities explain why Nigeria has continued to perform poorly on international prosperity rankings.

“A nation cannot budget for waste and expect prosperity. It cannot institutionalise inefficiency and hope for development,” he stated.

The former vice president also questioned the government’s continued borrowing despite periods of improved oil prices, saying the latest revelations have raised fresh concerns about how public resources are being managed.

He insisted that meaningful economic reforms must be accompanied by transparency, accountability and prudent management of public funds.

“Reform without accountability is merely another name for hardship. Fiscal adjustment without transparency is simply organised waste. Leadership is not measured by the number of speeches delivered but by the integrity with which public resources are managed,” he added.

Mr Atiku called on the National Assembly to undertake a comprehensive forensic review of the 2026 Appropriation Act, publish all duplicated allocations, identify officials responsible for inserting or approving them and ensure that improperly appropriated funds are recovered.

He also urged the Auditor-General of the Federation, anti-corruption agencies and civil society organisations to independently scrutinise the budget and make their findings public.

According to him, every duplicated budget provision represents development denied to Nigerians through unbuilt schools, unequipped hospitals, abandoned roads and neglected communities.

The ADC presidential candidate said his administration, if elected, would prioritise transparent budgeting, zero-based expenditure planning, digital tracking of public spending, stronger legislative oversight and strict accountability for public officers.

He concluded that Nigeria’s greatest challenge is not a shortage of wealth but the inability to manage available resources responsibly, insisting that a government unable to protect the integrity of its budget cannot secure the future of its citizens.