Atiku faults N8bn religious projects in 2026 budget, demands transparency

Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress, ADC, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has criticised the Federal Government over the allocation of about N8.05 billion for church- and mosque-related projects in the 2026 budget, describing it as a misuse of religion to shield questionable public spending.

In a statement issued on Tuesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Mr Atiku said that while religion occupies a sacred place in society, it should never be used as a cover for opaque budgeting.

Citing an analysis by public accountability organisation Tracka, he said the budget earmarked **N1.91 billion** for church-related projects and **N6.14 billion** for mosque-related projects, but failed to adequately identify many of the beneficiary religious institutions and project locations.

According to him, unlike roads, schools and hospitals, which are usually tied to specific locations and beneficiaries, many of the religious projects lack sufficient details to enable public verification, raising concerns about transparency and accountability.

Mr Atiku urged the Tinubu administration to publish the names of all beneficiary churches and mosques, project locations, implementing agencies and the legal basis for the allocations.

He argued that if the projects were genuine, they should be openly identified and transparently executed rather than hidden behind religion.

The former vice president also warned against dragging religious institutions into what he described as opaque budgeting, insisting that churches, mosques and religious leaders should not be used to legitimise questionable appropriations.

“Faith must never become a camouflage for budgeting by concealment,” he said.