Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has criticized the Federal Government’s decision to allocate ₦1.08 trillion to the Federal Cooperative College, Oji River, Enugu State, in the 2026 Appropriation Act.
He described the move as “a blueprint to defraud Nigerians.”
Atiku’s remarks followed findings by civic tech group Tracka, which revealed that the college was assigned to execute 2,791 capital projects across all 36 states and the FCT.
Tracka, an initiative of BudgIT, has long flagged questionable budget allocations and transparency gaps in public spending.
In a statement issued by his aide, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku argued that the arrangement undermines the government’s claims of fiscal discipline, especially at a time of subsidy removal, tax hikes, and rising debt.
“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,” Atiku said.
He questioned the legality of assigning projects ranging from roads, drainage systems, solar streetlights, markets, football pitches, dialysis centres, ambulances, water schemes, recycling plants, and empowerment programmes to an institution originally established for cooperative education.
Atiku demanded clarity on who nominated and approved the projects, and who would be held accountable for their execution.
He warned that the disclosure casts doubt on the credibility of the 2026 budget and reflects what he called a “medieval financial system” where the treasury is treated as a personal purse.
The controversy adds to ongoing criticism of Nigeria’s budget process, where agencies with limited mandates are often tasked with implementing large-scale projects outside their statutory responsibilities.
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