“Caretakers of Waste” – Atiku Calls for Probe of Tinubu’s 2026 Budget

The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has called on the National Assembly to immediately conduct a comprehensive forensic review of the 2026 Appropriation Act following reports of over ₦210 billion in alleged duplicated and overlapping budget allocations.

The former vice president, through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, described the alleged duplication as further evidence of what he termed poor fiscal management by the Federal Government.

According to him, the controversy comes at a time when Nigerians are grappling with rising inflation, high unemployment and worsening economic conditions despite the administration’s economic reforms.

“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 ₦210 billion found its way into duplicated and overlapping budget provisions.

“When a government asks its people to sacrifice, it must first demonstrate discipline. Instead, what Nigerians have seen is a budget riddled with duplication, questionable insertions, overlapping projects and expenditures that offend both common sense and fiscal responsibility.”

Atiku said the latest revelations did not emerge in isolation but formed part of what he described as a growing pattern of questionable budget practices that have repeatedly raised concerns about the integrity of Nigeria’s public finance system.

“In recent months, Nigerians have witnessed budgetary allocations for projects outside the statutory mandates of agencies, controversial insertions running into billions of naira, and expenditures that bear little relationship to the pressing needs of ordinary citizens. Rather than responding with transparency, the government has too often resorted to denial before reluctantly acknowledging problems when confronted with overwhelming evidence.

“Nothing illustrates the bankruptcy of this administration’s so-called reforms more than the fuel subsidy deception. Nigerians were told in 2023 that the subsidy was gone and were compelled to endure unprecedented hardship, skyrocketing fuel prices, crushing transportation costs, runaway inflation and a collapsing standard of living in the name of economic reform.

“Yet NNPC Limited’s own audited 2024 financial statements now reveal that a staggering ₦7.13 trillion was still expended on what it calls ‘Energy Security Expenses,’ a category the company itself identifies as petrol subsidy, otherwise known as under-recovery. This means Nigerians were never told the whole truth.

“The subsidy wasn’t eliminated; it was merely repackaged, renamed and quietly charged against the Federation. A government that conceals ₦7.13 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. Nigerians deserve to know who authorised this expenditure, who benefited from it, and why the administration chose to market deception as economic reform.”

Atiku maintained that the country’s worsening economic realities contradict official claims of economic progress, noting that many Nigerians continue to struggle with the rising cost of living.

He said families were finding it increasingly difficult to feed themselves, businesses were shutting down under mounting economic pressure, and thousands of graduates remained unemployed despite government assurances that the reforms were yielding positive results.

The ADC presidential candidate called on the Auditor-General of the Federation, anti-corruption agencies and civil society organisations to independently scrutinise the 2026 budget, identify those responsible for the alleged duplicated allocations, and ensure that any improperly appropriated public funds are recovered.

He also pledged that, if elected, an ADC-led administration would reform Nigeria’s public finance system through transparent budgeting, zero-based expenditure planning, digital tracking of public spending and strict accountability for public officials.

“When the owner of the barn invites goats to keep watch over his harvest, he should not be surprised when hunger follows abundance. Nigeria deserves custodians of her commonwealth, not Bourdillon caretakers of waste,” Atiku said.