DistantNews
Support us
🇳🇬 Nigeria /Economy & Trade

Atiku Accuses Tinubu of Failing Fiscal Transparency Test, Suffocating Nigerians with Excessive Taxation

From ThisDay · () English

Summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Atiku Abubakar criticizes the Tinubu administration for excessive taxation and failing a U.S. fiscal transparency test.
  • He argues that Nigeria's response to the U.S. assessment was an attempt to obscure a serious indictment.
  • Abubakar questions the administration's delayed publication of fuel subsidy savings and refinery rehabilitation costs.

Presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has sharply criticized the Bola Tinubu administration, accusing it of imposing excessive taxes on Nigerians and businesses. Abubakar stated that the nation is groaning under the burden of multiple taxes and levies, hindering economic activity.

Abubakar also condemned the administration's reaction to a U.S. government assessment that found Nigeria failed to meet minimum fiscal transparency requirements. He described the response as an "embarrassing attempt to bury a serious indictment beneath bureaucratic grammar," arguing that the presidency failed to address the substance of the report.

What exactly is the Tinubu Presidency saying? Nigeria failed the minimum fiscal transparency test, and its response is essentially: ‘Yes, we failed, but the test does not tell the whole story.’

— Atiku AbubakarResponding to the U.S. government's assessment of Nigeria's fiscal transparency.

"What exactly is the Tinubu Presidency saying? Nigeria failed the minimum fiscal transparency test, and its response is essentially: ‘Yes, we failed, but the test does not tell the whole story.’ That is not a defence. It is an admission wrapped in grammar," Abubakar said in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu.

That is not a defence. It is an admission wrapped in grammar.

— Atiku AbubakarDescribing the administration's response to the U.S. fiscal transparency report.

He highlighted a contradiction in the administration's policies, noting that while it advertises reforms, Nigeria still struggles with basic transparency. Abubakar pointed to the CBN's July 2026 Business Expectations Survey, which indicated that 70.8 percent of respondents cited high and multiple taxation as their biggest business constraint.

Abubakar further challenged Tinubu on his promise to publish details of how funds saved from fuel subsidy removal have been utilized. He demanded immediate transparency, urging the president to "Open the books now. Publish a full account of the subsidy savings and show Nigerians, project by project, where the money went."

Open the books now. Publish a full account of the subsidy savings and show Nigerians, project by project, where the money went.

— Atiku AbubakarDemanding transparency on the utilization of funds from fuel subsidy removal.
About this summary

Originally published by ThisDay. Summarized and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

More Stories

From Our Blog