Atiku Demands Probe into N6.44 Billion Budget for Failed World Cup Qualifiers

Presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has called for an independent investigation into a substantial N6.44 billion budgetary allocation designated for a "Special Presidential Support Group for the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers." Abubakar highlighted the absurdity of this allocation, noting that Nigeria had already been eliminated from the qualification process in November 2025, a full month before the 2026 budget was presented to and considered by the National Assembly.

In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Abubakar expressed strong criticism, questioning the rationale behind budgeting such a significant sum for presidential support for World Cup qualifiers after the country's elimination. He demanded clarity on who inserted the provision, who approved it, and who stood to benefit from an expenditure whose stated purpose had already become obsolete.

Abubakar described the allocation not just as poor judgment but as a "damning indictment of the integrity of the budgeting process." He argued that it reinforces public suspicion that the national budget has become a repository for questionable expenditures and wasteful allocations lacking any justifiable public purpose. This incident, he contended, exemplifies a pattern of fiscal mismanagement.

Furthermore, Abubakar connected the World Cup allocation to the ongoing controversy surrounding the alleged phantom Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC). He accused the administration of President Bola Tinubu of attempting to manipulate the narrative, shield government officials from scrutiny, and shift blame towards opposition figures. The recent arrest of the PFIPC's self-styled director general, Abubakar suggested, was a calculated move to extract statements implicating opposition figures rather than to uncover the truth behind the scandal. He emphasized that the PFIPC scandal involved more than just one individual, pointing to alleged official collaboration or a severe lapse in oversight across multiple government institutions.

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How does a serious government budget N6.44 billion for presidential support for World Cup qualifiers after the country had already been eliminated? What competition was the money intended to support? Who inserted the provision, who approved it and who was expected to benefit from an expenditure whose stated purpose had already ceased to exist?