Atiku urges National Assembly to investigate N12.8trn service-wide vote in 2026 budget

FORMER Vice President Atiku Abubakar has asked the National Assembly to immediately investigate the N12.8 trillion service-wide vote (SWV) in the 2026 budget, raising concerns over what he described as unexplained allocations and a lack of fiscal transparency.

The 2027 presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication Phrank Shaibu, urged lawmakers to conduct a line-by-line scrutiny of all items captured under the service-wide vote, including the N2.19 trillion earmarked for personnel costs.

He said the parliament should compel the Federal Government to disclose the beneficiaries, legal basis and spending framework for every allocation under the budgetary provision.

Atiku argued that the discovery that 84 percent of the 2026 budget is concentrated in just 10 Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), with N12.8 trillion lodged under the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning as the service-wide vote, raises serious questions about accountability.

He noted that the allocation had risen sharply from N638 billion in the 2025 budget to N12.8 trillion in 2026, representing an increase of about 1,918 percent within a year.

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According to him, President Bola Tinubu should explain the rationale behind the increase, insisting that Nigerians deserve to know who will spend the money, the purpose of the expenditure and the legal authority backing it.

The former vice president also questioned the N2.19 trillion personnel allocation under the service-wide vote, pointing out that the Federal Ministry of Finance, which is the government’s main treasury institution, received only N54.8 billion for personnel expenses.

He said the government should identify the workers covered by the allocation, where they are employed and the agencies to which they belong, arguing that the figures warrant closer scrutiny.

Atiku further observed that the combined allocations to education, defence and agriculture are lower than the amount set aside under the service-wide vote, warning that such a concentration of funds under broad budgetary headings could undermine public confidence.

He maintained that greater transparency in the budgeting process is essential, adding that every unexplained allocation represents resources that could otherwise support critical sectors such as healthcare, education, security, food production and economic growth.