Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, says a recent report by the US Department of State has vindicated his longstanding concerns about fiscal transparency under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
According to a statement issued by the Atiku Media Office in Abuja on Thursday, the report raised concerns about the government’s disclosure of revenues and expenditures.
The statement said the findings support Atiku’s repeated criticism of the administration over what he described as inadequate disclosure of public finances.
The US report, as quoted by Atiku’s media office, said the Tinubu-led government made its enacted budget and end-of-year report accessible to the public but “did not publish its executive budget proposal within a reasonable period.”
It also said “budget documents did not provide a substantially complete picture of the government’s revenues and expenditures, or break down expenditures to support executive offices in the budget.”
The report further stated that “Actual revenues and expenditures did not reasonably correspond to those in the enacted budget.”
Atiku’s media office said the findings align with his concerns over discrepancies between Nigeria’s approved budget and the revenues and expenditures recorded during implementation.
The statement also cited the report’s criticism of the Office of the Auditor-General, which it said did not meet international standards of independence and did not publish substantive reports.
Atiku said the findings confirmed his argument that Nigerians should have greater access to information on how public resources are generated and spent.
“This report confirms what we have been saying that Nigerians deserve to know where every kobo is coming from and where it is being spent. They are our resources and not the resources of President Bola Tinubu and his family and friends,” he said, according to the statement.
The former vice president also reiterated his position that fiscal transparency is essential to attracting investment, fighting corruption and building public trust.
“Transparency is not a slogan. It is the foundation of good governance,” Atiku had said in an earlier intervention cited by his media office.
He further argued that investors, donor agencies and credit rating firms require credible fiscal information to assess Nigeria’s economy.
Atiku called for detailed and timely disclosure of revenues from oil, taxes and borrowing, as well as information on how the funds are spent.
The statement was signed by the Atiku Media Office in Abuja on Wednesday, August 13, 2026.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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