Atiku Abubakar Critiques N8.05bn Religious Budget Allocation

Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), expressed serious concerns regarding the Nigerian federal government's decision to allocate approximately N8.05 billion in the 2026 Budget for church and mosque-related projects. This allocation includes N1.91 billion for church projects and N6.14 billion for mosque projects, as analyzed by the public accountability organization Tracka.

Atiku emphasized that while faith is significant in national life, it should not be a cover for opaque budgeting. He pointed out that the budget lacks specific details about which churches and mosques will benefit from these funds, making independent verification challenging.

He called for the government to disclose the names of beneficiary institutions, project locations, and the legal basis for these allocations. Atiku criticized the Tinubu administration for potentially exploiting religion to obscure public resource management, urging that religious spaces should not be used for questionable financial appropriations.