Atiku Alleges N210bn Budget Duplication, Accuses Tinubu of Fiscal Recklessness
Chuks Okocha in Abuja
A former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the 2027 general election, Atiku Abubakar, has accused the administration of President Bola Tinubu of gross fiscal recklessness, citing reports of over N210 billion in alleged duplication of allocations in the 2026 Federal Budget.
In a statement issued yesterday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said the reported budget irregularities, coupled with Nigeria’s poor performance on global prosperity indicators, reflected what he described as a failure of leadership rather than a shortage of national resources.
According to him, the alleged duplication in the budget undermined the credibility of the government’s economic reforms, which have required Nigerians to endure hardships following the removal of fuel subsidy, exchange rate unification, tax increases and higher tariffs.“For more than three years, Nigerians have been subjected to relentless hardship. They were told that the removal of fuel subsidies, 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 N210 billion found its way into duplicated and overlapping budget provisions,” Atiku said.
