Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticised the 2026 budget allocation of ₦1.08 trillion to the Federal Cooperative College, Oji River, Enugu State, describing the figure as a case of financial mismanagement and alleged fraud.
August 4, 2026, Atiku, through a statement released by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, reacted to an analysis by Tracka which revealed that the institution was listed to execute 2,791 capital projects across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The African Democratic Congress presidential candidate said the allocation raised questions about the government’s claim of promoting economic discipline through reforms, increased taxes and borrowing.
He questioned how a college established for cooperative education could be assigned responsibilities involving nationwide infrastructure and social projects, including roads, drainage systems, solar streetlights, markets, football fields, dialysis centres, ambulances, water projects, recycling facilities and empowerment programmes.
Atiku asked how the institution became responsible for thousands of projects outside its traditional mandate and demanded explanations on who approved the projects, how they would be monitored and who would be accountable for their execution.
He argued that public funds belong to Nigerians and should not be controlled without proper oversight, adding that such an allocation weakened claims of responsible financial management.
The former vice president said a government seeking citizens’ sacrifice through economic measures should not channel such a huge amount of money through an institution that lacks the capacity to manage projects of that scale.
He described the development as evidence of poor budget planning and called for greater transparency in the management of public resources.
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