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

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Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has urged the National Assembly to identify and expose officials responsible for the alleged N210bn duplicated and overlapping allocations in the 2026 Appropriation Act.

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The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress also called for an immediate forensic investigation into the budget, saying the alleged irregularities reflected deepening fiscal indiscipline under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

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Atiku said the reported duplications, alongside what he described as the country’s poor performance on global prosperity indicators, had exposed one of the most fiscally reckless administrations in Nigeria’s democratic history.

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In a statement issued on Saturday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku argued that the revelations had undermined the government’s claims that its economic reforms were restoring stability.

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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.

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“Yet today, the same government cannot explain how more than N210bn found its way into duplicated and overlapping budget provisions,” he said.

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He maintained that a government asking citizens to endure economic hardship must itself demonstrate fiscal discipline.

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“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.

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Atiku alleged that the reported duplication was part of a broader pattern of questionable public finance practices, citing what he described as budgetary allocations for projects outside the mandates of government agencies and controversial insertions running into billions of naira.

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He also renewed criticism of the administration’s handling of fuel subsidy, claiming Nigerians were misled over the policy.

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According to him, the audited financial statements of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited for 2024 showed that ₦7.13tn was still spent under an item described as “Energy security expenses,” which he argued amounted to the continuation of petrol subsidy under a different name.

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“Nigerians were never told the whole truth. The subsidy was not eliminated; it was merely repackaged, renamed and quietly charged against the Federation,” he said.

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“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.”

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The ADC chieftain further argued that the integrity of the national budget had been compromised, warning that such practices could erode investor confidence and weaken public trust in government.

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“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.

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“When that document itself becomes contaminated by duplication and overlapping allocations, confidence in the entire machinery of government is undermined,” he added.

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Atiku said the impact of fiscal mismanagement was already evident in the daily struggles faced by Nigerians.

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“Families are skipping meals. Parents are struggling to pay school fees. Small businesses are shutting their doors. Manufacturers continue to battle soaring production costs. Young graduates cannot find jobs. Farmers are trapped between insecurity and inflation,” he lamented.

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He insisted that “a nation cannot budget for waste and expect prosperity” and argued that reforms without accountability amounted to “another name for hardship.”

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He urged the National Assembly to undertake a comprehensive forensic review of the 2026 budget, publish all duplicated allocations, identify officials responsible for approving them and recover any funds improperly appropriated.

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He also called on the Auditor-General of the Federation, anti-corruption agencies and civil society organisations to independently scrutinise the budget.

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“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.

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He pledged that an ADC-led government would restore confidence in public finance through transparent budgeting, zero-based expenditure planning, digital tracking of public expenditure, stronger legislative oversight and greater accountability for public officials.

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The latest criticism comes amid sustained political debate over the Tinubu administration’s economic reforms, including the removal of petrol subsidy, exchange rate liberalisation and tax policy changes introduced since 2023.

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The Federal Government has consistently defended the reforms as necessary measures to stabilise the economy, improve public finances and lay the foundation for long-term growth. Government officials have pointed to increases in revenue, improvements in external reserves and renewed investor interest as evidence that the reforms are beginning to yield results.

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However, opposition parties and labour groups have continued to argue that the policies have significantly increased the cost of living and worsened the economic conditions of many Nigerians.

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Atiku’s latest intervention is expected to intensify scrutiny of the 2026 federal budget and further sharpen political debate ahead of the 2027 general election.

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