Atiku to N’Assembly: Name officials behind N210bn budget duplication

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called on Nigeria's National Assembly to expose officials behind N210 billion in duplicated and overlapping allocations within the 2026 Appropriation Act. Abubakar, also the presidential candidate for the African Democratic Congress, demanded a forensic investigation into the budget, which he described as evidence of "deepening fiscal indiscipline" under President Bola Tinubu's administration.

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Name officials behind N210bn budget duplication

Abubakar stated that these alleged irregularities, combined with the country's poor performance on global prosperity indicators, reveal "one of the most fiscally reckless administrations in Nigeria’s democratic history." He argued that the government's claims of economic reforms restoring stability are undermined by its inability to account for the duplicated budget provisions, especially after Nigerians endured hardship due to fuel subsidy removal and exchange rate unification.

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the alleged irregularities reflected deepening fiscal indiscipline under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

"When a government asks its people to sacrifice, it must first demonstrate discipline," Abubakar asserted. He criticized the budget for containing duplications, questionable insertions, and projects that defy common sense and fiscal responsibility. He also renewed his criticism of the administration's handling of fuel subsidies, alleging that Nigerians were misled. According to audited financial statements, N7.13 trillion was spent on "Energy security expenses" in 2024, which Abubakar claims is a repackaged continuation of the petrol subsidy.

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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 N210bn found its way into duplicated and overlapping budget provisions.

"A government that conceals ₦7.13tn behind a convenient euphemism while demanding sacrifice from millions of struggling citizens cannot claim the moral authority to preach reform, prudence or fiscal discipline," he said. Abubakar warned that such practices compromise the national budget's integrity, potentially eroding investor confidence and public trust in the government.

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When a government asks its people to sacrifice, it must first demonstrate discipline.