Atiku Abubakar challenges Nigerian government over IMF's 'missing 2% GDP' expenditure and alleged agency
via Punch Nigeria4 min read
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called on the Bola Tinubu administration to account for public expenditure equivalent to two percent of Nigeria's Gross Domestic Product, which the International Monetary Fund IMF reported as omitted from recent budget documentation. Abubakar described this as evidence of "institutional corruption" and demanded an immediate investigation, stating that such an omission cannot be dismissed as an accounting error. He questioned who authorized, approved, spent, and benefited from this missing expenditure. Abubakar linked the IMF's disclosure to the controversy surrounding the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council PFIPC, which the Presidency denies establishing. He highlighted that the Federal Ministry of Health reportedly received only ₦36 million despite a ₦218 billion allocation, while the alleged PFIPC reportedly received about ₦1.3 billion. He called on the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, to explain how the alleged agency gained official recognition. Abubakar also referenced allegations from Adeniyi Adeyemi, linked to the PFIPC controversy, who claimed a dispute arose after he refused a 48 percent kickback demand from the Office of the Chief of Staff for a proposed ₦27.3 billion take-off grant. He urged an independent investigation into these serious allegations, stating that any culpable officials should be removed and prosecuted. Abubakar emphasized that this controversy occu
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