A former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the 2027 general election, Atiku Abubakar, has accused the administration of President Bola Tinubu of gross fiscal recklessness, citing reports of over N210 billion in alleged duplication of allocations in the 2026 Federal Budget.
In a statement issued on Saturday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said the reported budget irregularities, coupled with Nigeria’s poor performance on global prosperity indicators, reflected what he described as a failure of leadership rather than a shortage of national resources.
According to him, the alleged duplication in the budget undermined the credibility of the government’s economic reforms, which have required Nigerians to endure hardships following the removal of fuel subsidy, exchange rate unification, tax increases and higher tariffs.
“For more than three years, Nigerians have been subjected to relentless hardship. They were told that the removal of fuel subsidies, 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,” Atiku said.
He argued that any government demanding sacrifices from citizens must first demonstrate fiscal discipline, adding that the reported duplications and questionable budget insertions violated the principles of transparency and accountability.
The former vice president further alleged that the latest revelations were part of a recurring pattern of questionable budget practices, including allocations for projects outside the statutory mandates of government agencies and controversial insertions worth billions of naira.
He said such practices point to a systemic breakdown in budget discipline rather than isolated administrative errors.
“The national budget is the single most important economic policy document of any government. It should reflect national priorities, inspire investor confidence and assure citizens that every naira borrowed or earned will be spent wisely. When that document itself becomes contaminated by duplication and overlapping allocations, confidence in the entire machinery of government is undermined,” he said.
Atiku also linked the alleged fiscal mismanagement to the country’s worsening economic conditions, saying many Nigerians continue to grapple with rising living costs, unemployment, business closures and insecurity, despite government claims that its economic reforms were yielding results.
“Families are skipping meals. Parents are struggling to pay school fees. Small businesses are shutting their doors. Manufacturers continue to battle soaring production costs. Young graduates cannot find jobs. Farmers are trapped between insecurity and inflation,” he stated.
According to him, “a nation cannot budget for waste and expect prosperity. It cannot institutionalise inefficiency and hope for development.”
He also questioned the government’s continued borrowing despite improved oil prices, arguing that the alleged duplicated allocations have raised concerns over the management of public resources.
While calling for accountability, Atiku urged the National Assembly to undertake what he described as a comprehensive forensic review of the 2026 Appropriation Act to identify all duplicated allocations, expose officials responsible for approving them and ensure that improperly appropriated funds are recovered.
He also called on the Auditor-General of the Federation, anti-corruption agencies and civil society organisations to independently scrutinise the budget and make their findings public.
“The days when budget manipulation could be dismissed as mere clerical errors must come to an end. Every duplicated allocation represents a classroom not built, a hospital not equipped, a road left abandoned and a community denied development,” he said.
The ADC presidential candidate pledged that, if elected, his administration would introduce transparent budgeting, zero-based expenditure planning, digital public expenditure tracking, stronger legislative oversight and stricter accountability for public officials.
“Nigeria’s greatest problem is not the absence of wealth. It is the absence of discipline in the management of that wealth. A government that cannot protect the integrity of its budget cannot protect the future of its people,” Atiku added.
He concluded by quoting an African proverb: “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 caretakers of waste.”
Chuks Okocha
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