Breaking: No Room for Missing Funds’ – Atiku Cautions Tinubu Govt on $1.07 Billion Budget

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has issued a warning, saying that money provided for Nigeria’s health sector in the 2025 budget shouldn’t end up like previous public expenditures that were purportedly ingested by termites, snakes, gorillas, and monkeys.
₦2.48 trillion was first recommended for healthcare in the 2025 Budget, and the Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government has allocated an additional $1.07 billion for the primary healthcare sector.
Recall that in recent years, there have been allegations of government cash going missing that have been attributed to strange circumstances with little to no responsibility or investigation.
Atiku emphasized in a personally signed statement issued on Sunday that every kobo allotted to the health sector must be used effectively due to the country’s diminishing resources and the departure of foreign assistance for essential healthcare services.

The former vice president expressed disapproval of the government’s lack of transparency over its plans to utilize these funds.

According to what we’ve read, the Federal Government plans to invest an astounding $1.07 billion in the primary health sector, he stated. In addition to this sum, N2.48 trillion was already suggested for the health sector in the budget’s first draft.

Former PDP presidential candidate Atiku voiced concerns about the sources of the extra $1.07 billion, stating that part of it came from an international donor agency and the majority came from foreign lenders.

Nigerians have a right to know the specifics of these loans, how they will be paid back, and how the money would be used wisely, he continued.

To put it another way, he stated that Nigeria is expected to repay these loans and that the Nigerian people must be informed about their specifics. Additionally, he stated that the expenditures of these loans must be explained in a policy envelope.

The Federal Government’s lack of commitment to the development of physical infrastructure in its health budget was attacked by Atiku, who called it dubious.

According to a government statement, the money will be utilized to improve primary healthcare services and healthcare governance. This covers the subnational hiring, development, and retention of teachers and healthcare professionals.

Nevertheless, Atiku contested this rationale, contending that the budget might be mishandled in the absence of explicit accountability procedures.

“Nigerians cannot afford to accept a poor explanation on a budgetary provision that lacks a mechanism of tracking how the money is to be expended,” he said, given that the administration has a history of lacking confidence in the management of its humanitarian services.

The opposition leader also said that the administration was deceiving Nigerians about the state of the nation’s tertiary hospitals, claiming that they are in need of basic amenities like a reliable power source, despite claims of progress.

According to Atiku, the administration of President Bola Tinubu has failed in the health sector because of inadequate financing and a lack of openness.

In Nigeria’s basic healthcare system, he noted, HIV/AIDS, TB, and malaria continue to be serious health issues. He worried about how these problems would be resolved with the intervention fund.

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“The government of President Tinubu should explain how it intends to use this intervention fund in addressing these diseases in the primary health sector if it truly meant to prioritize the health of Nigerians,” Atiku continued.

The N5 billion allotment was deemed a “paltry sum” by him, who also criticized the government’s response to the US government’s decision to stop sponsoring HIV/AIDS treatment in Nigeria.

Nigerians would see the budget as just another scam masquerading as public interest spending until the Tinubu administration offers a clear plan for how the $1.07 billion allotted to the health sector will be used and tracked, Atiku cautioned.

To guarantee accountability, he encouraged the government to set up public auditing procedures and invite the National Assembly to examine the appropriations.

It may be safe to say that this is another instance of the Tinubu administration defrauding the public interest if it does not offer a thorough framework to protect its alleged enormous investment in the health sector or submit the appropriations to the National Assembly’s scrutiny, Atiku stated.