Atiku Abubakar, the former Vice President, has voiced strong disapproval regarding the inclusion of approximately N8.05 billion in the 2026 federal budget for religious construction projects. In a statement released Tuesday through his aide Phrank Shaibu, Atiku challenged the administration of President Bola Tinubu for utilizing religious institutions to justify potentially suspicious government expenditures.
Data provided by the monitoring group Tracka indicates that the budget sets aside N1.91 billion for church projects and N6.14 billion for mosque projects. Atiku highlighted that the government has failed to provide a transparent list of the recipient institutions, raising significant concerns about the legitimacy of these allocations during a period of economic hardship for most citizens.
Addressing the administration, Atiku declared that religious faith should not be exploited to hide questionable spending practices. He demanded full disclosure regarding the specific beneficiaries, project sites, and the legal justification for these funds. The former Vice President warned that involving sacred spaces in controversial budgetary practices damages their role as centers for spiritual guidance, urging the government to maintain financial transparency rather than hiding behind religious structures.
