Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticised the Tinubu administration over reports of more than ₦210 billion in alleged duplicated allocations in the 2026 federal budget.
He argued that the reported irregularities undermine the credibility of the government’s economic reforms and reflect wider concerns about fiscal discipline.
Atiku also questioned the continued payment of petrol subsidy-related expenses, citing NNPC Limited’s audited financial statements, and called for greater transparency.
He urged the National Assembly, anti-corruption agencies and the Auditor-General to conduct a forensic review of the budget and hold those responsible accountable.
July 18, (THEWILL) — Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused the administration of President Bola Tinubu of fiscal mismanagement following reports of more than ₦210 billion in alleged duplicated and overlapping allocations in the proposed 2026 federal budget, calling for a forensic investigation into the appropriation process.
In a statement issued on Saturday, July 18, 2026, by his spokesman, Phrank Shaibu, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate said the reported budget irregularities, alongside Nigeria’s poor performance on global prosperity indicators, raised serious concerns about the government’s management of public finances.
Atiku argued that the revelations undermined the credibility of the administration’s economic reforms, saying Nigerians had been asked to endure hardship through measures such as fuel subsidy removal, exchange rate unification and higher taxes without corresponding fiscal discipline from government.
“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,” he said.
The former vice president said the alleged duplication was part of a broader pattern of questionable budgetary practices, including projects outside the statutory mandates of government agencies and controversial insertions worth billions of naira. He alleged that the government’s responses had often shifted from initial denials to later acknowledgements when confronted with evidence.
Atiku questions fuel subsidy claims
According to him, the expenditure suggests petrol subsidy payments continued despite the administration’s announcement in 2023 that the subsidy had been removed.
“Nigerians deserve to know who authorised this expenditure, who benefited from it, and why the administration chose to market deception as economic reform,” he said.
He argued that weaknesses in budget implementation were damaging public confidence and discouraging investment, warning that fiscal discipline was essential for economic recovery.
“The national budget is the single most important economic policy document of any government. When that document itself becomes contaminated by duplication and overlapping allocations, confidence in the entire machinery of government is undermined,” Atiku said.
The former vice president also linked the alleged fiscal shortcomings to the country’s economic challenges, saying many households and businesses continued to struggle with high inflation, rising production costs and unemployment despite government assurances that reforms were yielding results.
Atiku demands forensic budget review
He also urged the Auditor-General of the Federation, anti-corruption agencies and civil society organisations to independently scrutinise the budget and make their findings public.
“The days when budget manipulation could be dismissed as mere clerical errors must come to an end. Every duplicated allocation represents a classroom not built, a hospital not equipped, a road left abandoned and a community denied development,” he said.
Atiku said his party would prioritise greater transparency in public finance through measures including zero-based budgeting, digital expenditure tracking, stronger legislative oversight and stricter accountability for public officials if elected.
The Presidency had not responded to Atiku’s allegations at the time of filing this report.
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