- Atiku Abubakar raised an alarm over a budget analysis showing Federal Cooperative College, Oji River received ₦1.08 trillion for 2,791 projects nationwide
- The former vice president questioned who approved a cooperative college as an implementing agency for roads, dialysis centres, markets and thousands of other projects
- Atiku’s statement, released by aide Phrank Shaibu, accused the Tinubu administration of using the 2026 budget to conceal public spending
Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over 8 years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international issues
FCT, Abuja – ADC presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has described the Tinubu administration’s 2026 Appropriation Act as a deliberate fraud against Nigerians, over-allocating ₦1.08 trillion to implement 2,791 capital projects across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
An independent analysis by budget-tracking organisation Tracka revealed that the Federal Cooperative College, Oji River, in Enugu State, was allocated the money.
Source: Twitter
Phrank Shaibu, Atiku’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, issued the statement made available to Legit.ng on Tuesday, August 4, 2026.
Atiku praised Tracka for uncovering what he called one of the most troubling examples of budget manipulation under President Bola Tinubu.
The Former Vice President said the findings could not be separated from the government’s public calls for sacrifice, including fuel subsidy removal, higher taxes, and increased borrowing, all framed as part of a responsible economic agenda.
Atiku questions mandate of cooperative college
The former presidential candidate said it was impossible to reconcile a cooperative college’s statutory role, which is to advance cooperative education, with the execution of infrastructure projects that include roads, drainage systems, solar streetlights, markets, football pitches, dialysis centres, ambulances, water supply schemes, recycling plants, and empowerment programmes spanning the entire country.
“Who decided that a cooperative college should become one of Nigeria’s biggest ministries by stealth? Under what law was it transformed into the implementing agency for 2,791 projects? Who nominated these projects, who approved them, who will supervise them, and who will be held accountable?”
Atiku argued that the scale of the allocation bore no relation to the institution’s size, capacity, or legal mandate, and said the arrangement violated basic principles of public finance.
Atiku: Budget exposes hollow claims of fiscal discipline
Atiku said the revelations directly contradicted the administration’s claim of prudent financial management.
“This government operates a medieval financial system in which the national treasury is treated as the personal purse of the ruler — available to be spent, diverted or dispensed at will, with little regard for transparency, accountability or the public interest.”
He added that a government asking Nigerians to accept higher costs and reduced public services while routing over a trillion naira through a college with no demonstrated capacity to manage such projects could not credibly claim to be fighting waste.
“A government that plans to spend ₦1.08 trillion through a cooperative college cannot claim to be fighting waste or promoting fiscal discipline. It looks less like governance and more like a blueprint to defraud Nigerians.”
Atiku last contested the presidency in 2023 under the Peoples Democratic Party. He resigned from the African Democratic Congress on May 2, 2026, and was ratified as the NDC presidential candidate on May 29, 2026, ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Source: Facebook
Atiku knocks Tinubu’s GDP claims
Recall that Atiku slammed the Presidency’s repeated comments on GDP growth, saying it reflects a disconnect from ordinary Nigerians’ lives.
The former vice president cited IMF data estimating that 63% of Nigerians now live below the national poverty line.
Atiku pointed to the federal government’s own plans to begin measuring poverty as proof that GDP figures alone do not tell the full story.
Atiku slams Tinubu over ₦4.79 trillion borrowing overrun
Earlier, Legit.ng also reported that Atiku criticised the Federal Government after the Budget Office revealed it borrowed ₦4.79 trillion above its approved 2024 limit.
The government also obtained an extra ₦3.19 trillion classified as ‘budget support’ with no provision for it in the approved budget.
Atiku’s camp pointed to a reported ₦7.98 trillion oil windfall, questioning why borrowing continued to rise despite higher revenues.
Source: Legit.ng