Former Vice President of Nigeria and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has criticized the Tinubu administration following revelations of over ₦210 billion in overlapping and duplicated allocations in the 2026 Federal Budget.
He described the findings as evidence of fiscal recklessness unprecedented in Nigeria’s democratic history.
In a statement released by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku pointed to Nigeria’s poor performance on nearly 90 percent of globally recognized prosperity indicators.
He argued that the budget irregularities further highlight the government’s failure to manage resources responsibly.
Atiku emphasized that two independent reports had exposed the flaws in the administration’s economic reforms. According to him, the findings stripped away the propaganda surrounding the government’s policies and revealed the harsh reality of Nigeria’s economic struggles.
He concluded that Nigeria’s challenges are not rooted in a lack of resources but in a failure of leadership. Atiku maintained that the mismanagement of public funds and poor governance continue to undermine the country’s progress and prosperity.
“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 stressed that the findings from this latest investigation are not isolated. He explained that they form part of a broader pattern of questionable budgetary practices that have continued to surface in recent years.
He pointed out that these recurring issues have consistently raised doubts about the credibility of Nigeria’s public finance system. According to him, the revelations highlight systemic weaknesses that demand urgent attention.
Atiku argued that the repeated exposure of such irregularities undermines confidence in the government’s fiscal discipline. He noted that the situation reflects poorly on the administration’s ability to manage resources transparently.
He concluded that the growing catalogue of troubling practices reinforces the need for accountability and reform in Nigeria’s budgeting process reinforces the need ror accountability and reform in Nigeria’s budgeting process.
