WorldStage— Former Nigeria’s Vice President Atiku Abubakar has challenged President Bola Tinubu’s administration over investigations that exposed alleged ₦210.23 billion in overlapping, duplicated, and fragmented allocations within the 2026 Federal Budget.
Labelling the revelations as undeniable indictment of the government’s fiscal recklessness and policy bankruptcy, Atiku referenced discoveries in the 2026 Budget by independent review of the 2,604-page 2026 Appropriation Act which, according to him, exposed systemic discrepancies in how public funds are managed
He observed that multiple Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) were assigned identical project descriptions, essentially funding the same offices through disconnected spending channels.
He further alleged that flagship government programmes were split across distinct budget lines to mask their cumulative costs, with the budget accommodating high-profile, questionable allocations, including ₦6.44 billion earmarked for a “Special Presidential Support Group for the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers”—despite Nigeria having been eliminated from qualification in November 2025.
Atiku who made the allegationsthrough his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, stated that the budget’s inflation strips away the administration’s economic reform propaganda.
Atiku criticized the administration for treating the national budget like a “personal ledger” or souvenir, diverting critical capital away from crumbling public institutions, underfunded schools, and national security.
He questioned how a allegedly fictitious body—the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC)—managed to secure a ₦1.3 billion budget allocation, central bank accounts, and physical office space at the Federal Secretariat without insider compromise.
Atiku tied the ₦210 billion duplication to a broader pattern of fiscal opacity, pointing to an International Monetary Fund (IMF) report alleging that ₦8.8 trillion (approx. 2% of Nigeria’s GDP) was executed entirely off-budget.Demands for Accountability.
The former Vice President has officially called on the National Assembly, the Auditor-General, and anti-corruption agencies like the EFCC and ICPC to step in and conduct an immediate, independent, and bipartisan review of the 2026 budget lines.
He also recommended criminal investigation which will Identify and prosecute the specific officials who prepared, defended, and inserted phantom provisions into the final Appropriation Bill.
He equally demanded for reactivation of public tracking resources, such as the Open Treasury Portal, which opposition leaders claim have vanished or stopped publishing implementation reports.
The Presidency and the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning have yet to offer a comprehensive rebuttal to the ₦210 billion duplication report, though they previously dismissed tracking discrepancies raised by international bodies. allocations within the 2026 Federal Budget.
Labelling the revelations as undeniable indictment of the government’s fiscal recklessness and policy bankruptcy, Atiku referenced discoveries in the 2026 Budget by independent review of the 2,604-page 2026 Appropriation Act which, according to him, exposed systemic discrepancies in how public funds are managed
He observed that multiple Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) were assigned identical project descriptions, essentially funding the same offices through disconnected spending channels.
He further alleged that flagship government programmes were split across distinct budget lines to mask their cumulative costs, with the budget accommodating high-profile, questionable allocations, including ₦6.44 billion earmarked for a “Special Presidential Support Group for the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers”—despite Nigeria having been eliminated from qualification in November 2025.
Atiku who made the allegationsthrough his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, stated that the budget’s inflation strips away the administration’s economic reform propaganda.
Atiku criticized the administration for treating the national budget like a “personal ledger” or souvenir, diverting critical capital away from crumbling public institutions, underfunded schools, and national security.
He questioned how a allegedly fictitious body—the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC)—managed to secure a ₦1.3 billion budget allocation, central bank accounts, and physical office space at the Federal Secretariat without insider compromise.
Atiku tied the ₦210 billion duplication to a broader pattern of fiscal opacity, pointing to an International Monetary Fund (IMF) report alleging that ₦8.8 trillion (approx. 2% of Nigeria’s GDP) was executed entirely off-budget.Demands for Accountability.
The former Vice President has officially called on the National Assembly, the Auditor-General, and anti-corruption agencies like the EFCC and ICPC to step in and conduct an immediate, independent, and bipartisan review of the 2026 budget lines.
He also recommended criminal investigation which will Identify and prosecute the specific officials who prepared, defended, and inserted phantom provisions into the final Appropriation Bill.
He equally demanded for reactivation of public tracking resources, such as the Open Treasury Portal, which opposition leaders claim have vanished or stopped publishing implementation reports.
The Presidency and the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning have yet to offer a comprehensive rebuttal to the ₦210 billion duplication report, though they previously dismissed tracking discrepancies raised by international bodies.
