Atiku Abubakar Questions Tinubu's Administration Over Conflicting Cash Transfer Figures

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has sharply criticized President Bola Tinubu’s administration, demanding an explanation for conflicting figures released concerning the government's expanded cash transfer program. Abubakar highlighted a significant discrepancy between an earlier claim of 15 million vulnerable households reached and a more recent figure of "slightly over 10 million households."

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On July 16, 2026, the presidency officially declared that expanded cash transfers had reached 15m vulnerable households. It repeated essentially the same figure on August 2, 2026. Yet on August 26, 2026, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs suddenly told Nigerians that only ‘slightly over 10m households’ had been reached. So where did five million households go? These are not opposition figures. They are Tinubu’s figures contradicting Tinubu’s figures.

In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Abubakar questioned the whereabouts of the five million households unaccounted for in the latest figures. He pointed out that these contradictory numbers originated from the presidency and the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, stating, "These are not opposition figures. They are Tinubu’s figures contradicting Tinubu’s figures."

Abubakar called for the Federal Government to publish comprehensive records of the program's payments. This includes verified beneficiary households, payment tranches, state-by-state distribution data, details of failed transactions, and any reversals. He stressed that if ₦600 billion was indeed disbursed, the government must provide a clear financial trail, supported by an independent audit.

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If ₦600bn truly moved, then government must show the trail: unique verified households, payment tranches, state-by-state distribution, failed transactions, reversals and an independent audit.

The former vice president’s critique comes as the Tinubu administration promotes its social protection measures as a response to the rising cost of living. However, Abubakar argued that the government's focus should be on addressing the root causes of economic hardship, such as increased fuel and food costs, rather than merely expanding palliative measures. He contended that a government needing to provide emergency cash transfers to tens of millions of households should be explaining why its policies have led to such widespread desperation, rather than celebrating the expansion of aid.

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Beyond the arithmetic lies a bigger indictment. A government boasting that tens of millions of households require emergency cash transfers should not be congratulating itself. It should be explaining why its economic policies pushed so many people into desperation.