Nigeria’s 2026 Budget Shows Over ₦210 billion in Duplicate Allocations, Says Atiku

ADC presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has warned that Nigeria’s 2026 Appropriation Act contains more than ₦210 billion in duplicated and overlapping allocations. He called for an immediate forensic investigation by the National Assembly, urging the Auditor‑General, anti‑corruption agencies and civil society to identify officials responsible and recover any improperly appropriated funds.

Atiku also criticised the massive ₦12.8 trillion Service‑Wide Vote, which he says concentrates 84 % of the entire budget in a single ministry and represents a nineteen‑fold increase over the previous year. He linked the budget irregularities to broader fiscal mismanagement, citing the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation’s 2024 accounts that still show ₦7.13 trillion spent on “Energy Security Expenses,” effectively a hidden fuel subsidy. The candidate described the Tinubu administration as one of the most fiscally reckless in Nigeria’s democratic history and pledged that an ADC‑led government would implement transparent budgeting, zero‑based planning and digital public‑expenditure tracking.