Religion Not A Sanctuary For Opaque Budgeting, Questionable Public Expenditure — Atiku Tells Tinubu

• Atiku Abubakar Challenges the Tinubu Administration Over the Reported ₦8.05 Billion Allocation for Church and Mosque Projects in the Proposed 2026 Budget, Describing the Spending as a Test of Government’s Commitment to Transparency and Accountability
• Former Vice President Insists That Religion Must Never Become a Sanctuary for Opaque Budgeting or Questionable Public Expenditure, Warning That Public Funds Cannot Be Hidden Behind the Sanctity of Faith
• Calls on the Presidency to Immediately Publish the Names of Every Beneficiary Church and Mosque, Project Locations, Implementing Ministries and Agencies, and the Legal Basis for the Faith-Related Budget Allocations
• Warns That Dragging Churches, Mosques and Religious Leaders Into Controversial Budgetary Provisions Could Undermine Public Confidence in Both Government Spending and the Integrity of Nigeria’s Religious Institutions

July 21, () — Former Vice President and Presidential Candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has challenged the Federal Government to provide full details of the reported ₦8.05 billion earmarked for church- and mosque-related projects in the proposed 2026 Appropriation Bill, saying religion must not be used as a cover for opaque budgeting or questionable public expenditure.

In a statement issued on Tuesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku expressed concern over the inclusion of the faith-based projects in the budget at a time millions of Nigerians are battling rising living costs, worsening poverty, declining public services and an expanding national debt profile.

The former vice president was reacting to an analysis by civic accountability organisation, Tracka, which reportedly showed that ₦1.91 billion had been allocated for church-related projects, while ₦6.14 billion was proposed for mosque-related projects in the 2026 budget.

While acknowledging the importance of religion in Nigeria’s social fabric, Atiku maintained that public funds appropriated in the name of faith must remain subject to the highest standards of transparency, accountability and public scrutiny.

Atiku argued that the controversy surrounding the allocations was not necessarily the decision to fund projects linked to religious institutions, but the reported lack of sufficient information identifying many of the beneficiaries.

According to him, churches and mosques generally exist as Incorporated Trustees under Nigerian law with distinct legal identities, making it both possible and necessary for the government to clearly identify institutions benefiting from public funds.

He noted that unlike road, education and healthcare projects, which are usually tied to identifiable locations and communities, many of the religious allocations reportedly failed to specify the names of beneficiary churches and mosques, making public verification difficult.

“The issue is not faith; the issue is accountability”, Atiku said, insisting that the government cannot rely on the sanctity of religion to avoid the transparency obligations attached to public expenditure.

He maintained that every appropriation involving public resources must be open to scrutiny, regardless of the sector or institution involved.

Presidency Asked to Publish Full Details

The former vice president called on the Tinubu administration to immediately release comprehensive details of all projects covered by the allocations.

Specifically, he demanded the publication of the names of beneficiary churches and mosques, project locations, implementing ministries, departments and agencies, as well as the legal basis upon which the appropriations were made.

According to him, only full disclosure would reassure Nigerians that the allocations were legitimate and intended for genuine public purposes. He warned that withholding such information would deepen public suspicion that religion was being used as a convenient shield for opaque spending.

“The Tinubu administration has crossed the moral red line by dragging the altar and the minbar into the marketplace of opaque budgeting”, he stated.

Warns Against Politicising Religious Institutions

Atiku further cautioned the Federal Government against drawing religious institutions into political or fiscal controversies.

He said churches, mosques and their leaders should remain symbols of moral authority and spiritual guidance rather than becoming associated with disputed government expenditures.

“The altar and the minbar are sacred spaces for moral instruction and spiritual guidance, not convenient hiding places for questionable appropriations,” he said.

The former vice president added that government must avoid actions capable of undermining public confidence in religious institutions through budgetary practices that lack transparency.

Atiku declared that “God is not a laundering machine for public funds”, arguing that no administration has the moral or legal authority to shield public spending behind religion.

He insisted that where projects involving churches or mosques are legitimate, they should be openly identified, lawfully appropriated and transparently executed in line with Nigeria’s public finance laws.

“Faith must never become a camouflage for budgeting by concealment”, he said, urging the Federal Government to keep “its leprous fingers of fiscal filth” away from the nation’s sacred institutions.

As of the time of filing this report, the Presidency had not issued an official response to Atiku’s allegations or his call for the publication of the beneficiaries of the reported ₦8.05 billion faith-related allocations in the proposed 2026 budget.