Atiku says N1.08trn college budget undermines Tinubu’s fiscal discipline claims

Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has accused the administration of President Bola Tinubu of undermining its claims of fiscal discipline, citing the alleged allocation of N1.08 trillion to the Federal Cooperative College, Oji River, Enugu State, for the execution of 2,791 capital projects across the country in the 2026 Appropriation Act.

In a statement issued Tuesday by Phrank Shaibu, his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Atiku described the allocation as a glaring example of budget distortion, saying it contradicted the administration’s insistence that painful economic reforms, higher taxes and increased borrowing were necessary to restore fiscal stability.

Commending civic organisation Tracka for uncovering the budget provision, Atiku argued that it was illogical for a cooperative college to serve as the implementing agency for thousands of projects nationwide.

“Nothing exposes the hollowness of that claim more than a budget that turns a federal cooperative college into one of Nigeria’s largest project-implementing agencies,” he said.

He questioned how an institution established for cooperative education could be saddled with projects ranging from roads, drainage systems and solar streetlights to dialysis centres, markets, ambulances and water schemes across the federation.

“A government that plans to spend N1.08 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 said.

The former vice president said the development raised serious concerns about transparency, accountability and the credibility of the 2026 federal budget.