Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has questioned the Federal Government's decision to allocate ₦1.08 trillion to the Federal Cooperative College, Oji River, Enugu State, in the 2026 Appropriation Act, describing the move as inconsistent with the institution's mandate.
Atiku's reaction followed a budget review by civic technology organisation, Tracka, which claimed that the college had been designated as the implementing agency for 2,791 capital projects across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Tracka, an initiative of BudgIT, monitors public budgets and tracks the execution of government projects, with a focus on promoting transparency and accountability in public spending.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku praised the organisation for bringing the budgetary allocation to public attention, describing it as one of the most disturbing revelations in the 2026 budget.
He argued that the reported allocation contradicts the Federal Government's repeated assurances of prudent financial management at a time many Nigerians are struggling with the effects of subsidy removal, tax increases and a rising cost of living.
"The government's claims of fiscal discipline are difficult to reconcile with a budget that effectively transforms a federal cooperative college into one of the country's largest project implementation agencies," Atiku said.
He expressed disbelief that an institution established to promote cooperative education would be assigned projects reportedly worth more than ₦1 trillion, including roads, drainage systems, markets, solar streetlights, football pitches, dialysis centres, ambulances, water projects, recycling plants and empowerment programmes across the country.
According to him, such responsibilities fall outside the statutory functions of the institution and raise serious questions about the integrity of the budget process.
Atiku challenged the Federal Government to explain the legal and administrative basis for assigning the projects to the college.
"Who authorised this arrangement? Under what law was the Federal Cooperative College empowered to implement 2,791 projects nationwide? Who selected the projects, who approved them, who will supervise their execution and who will ultimately be held accountable?" he asked.
The former vice president maintained that the development casts doubt on the credibility of the 2026 Appropriation Act and undermines the administration's claims of responsible economic management.
He accused the government of treating public funds without adequate regard for transparency and accountability, insisting that the reported allocation could not be justified while Nigerians continue to face economic hardship.
"A government that intends to channel ₦1.08 trillion through a cooperative college cannot convincingly claim to be promoting fiscal discipline or reducing waste. It appears more like a blueprint to defraud Nigerians," he said.
Atiku called for a thorough public examination of the budget and urged relevant oversight institutions to ensure greater transparency and accountability in the implementation of federal government projects.
The issue has further fuelled concerns by transparency advocates over the growing practice of assigning constituency and intervention projects to agencies whose statutory mandates appear unrelated to the projects they are expected to execute.
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