…Tells NASS To Conduct Comprehensive Forensic Review Of 2026 Appropriation Act
Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has described President Bola Tinubu’s government as one of the most fiscally reckless in Nigeria’s democratic history, following allegations of ₦210 billion in duplicated allocations in the 2026 budget.
Atiku urged the National Assembly to immediately conduct a comprehensive forensic review of the 2026 Appropriation Act, stressing that Tinubu’s administration cannot build prosperity on deception, waste and duplication.
In a statement on Saturday, issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said the two independent reports have finally stripped away the propaganda surrounding the administration’s so-called economic reforms and revealed a painful truth: “Nigeria isn’t failing because of a lack of resources, but because of a profound failure of leadership.
“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 ₦210 billion found its way into duplicated and overlapping budget provisions.
Atiku noted that this latest investigation didn’t emerge in isolation but adds to a growing catalogue of troubling budget practices that have repeatedly raised serious questions about the integrity of public finance.
“In recent months, Nigerians have witnessed budgetary allocations for projects outside the statutory mandates of agencies, controversial insertions running into billions of naira, and expenditures that bear little relationship to the pressing needs of ordinary citizens. Rather than responding with transparency, the government has too often resorted to denial before reluctantly acknowledging problems when confronted with overwhelming evidence.
“Nothing illustrates the bankruptcy of this administration’s so-called reforms more than the fuel subsidy deception. Nigerians were told in 2023 that the subsidy was gone and were compelled to endure unprecedented hardship—skyrocketing fuel prices, crushing transportation costs, runaway inflation and a collapsing standard of living—in the name of economic reform. Yet NNPC Limited’s own audited 2024 financial statements now reveal that a staggering ₦7.13 trillion was still expended on what it calls ‘Energy Security Expenses,’ a category the company itself identifies as petrol subsidy, otherwise known as under-recovery. This means Nigerians were never told the whole truth. The subsidy wasn’t eliminated; it was merely repackaged, renamed and quietly charged against the Federation. A government that conceals ₦7.13 trillion behind a convenient euphemism while demanding sacrifice from millions of struggling citizens cannot claim the moral authority to preach reform, prudence or fiscal discipline. Nigerians deserve to know who authorised this expenditure, who benefited from it, and why the administration chose to market deception as economic reform.”
According to him, this pattern demonstrates that the problem is no longer isolated errors but a systemic breakdown in budget discipline.
“The national budget is the single most important economic policy document of any government. It should reflect national priorities, inspire investor confidence and assure citizens that every naira borrowed or earned will be spent wisely. When that document itself becomes contaminated by duplication and overlapping allocations, confidence in the entire machinery of government is undermined.”
The former Vice President said the consequences of this fiscal indiscipline are evident in the country’s declining prosperity rankings.
Atiku stressed that genuine reform requires the government to subject itself to the same discipline it demands from citizens.
Atiku called on the National Assembly to immediately conduct a comprehensive forensic review of the 2026 Appropriation Act, publish every duplicated allocation, identify every official responsible for inserting or approving such provisions and ensure that all improperly appropriated funds are recovered.
He also urged the Auditor-General of the Federation, anti-corruption agencies and civil society organisations to carry out independent scrutiny of the budget and make their findings available to the Nigerian people.
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