Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate for the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has criticized the Federal Government for setting aside ₦8.05 billion for religious projects in the 2026 budget. Represented by his aide Phrank Shaibu, Abubakar is calling on the presidency to provide a transparent list of all institutions slated to receive these funds, including their specific locations.
Data from the organization Tracka indicates that ₦1.91 billion is marked for church projects, while ₦6.14 billion is assigned to mosques. Abubakar argues that because these religious organizations function as independent legal entities, the public deserves full disclosure regarding the destination of these tax dollars. He noted that these line items lack the clarity usually associated with government infrastructure projects like schools or hospitals.
The former presidential candidate stated that using faith as a shield to bypass financial accountability is unacceptable. He accused the administration of President Bola Tinubu of misusing religious institutions to obscure government spending. Abubakar demanded that the government disclose the names of beneficiaries, project sites, and the implementing agencies involved to prove these allocations are legitimate. He concluded by asserting that religious institutions should not be utilized as covers for questionable financial practices and that the government must maintain complete transparency when managing public funds.
