BREAKING: 2025 Budget: Atiku to Tinubu Govt: ‘Snakes, Termites, Monkeys Must Not Devour $1.07 Billion

Atiku Abubakar, the former vice president, has issued a warning that money intended for Nigeria’s health sector in the 2025 budget must not end up like previous public expenditures that were purportedly ingested by termites, snakes, gorillas, and monkeys.
For the primary healthcare sector, the Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government has set aside $1.07 billion, on top of the ₦2.48 trillion that was first suggested for healthcare in the 2025 Budget.
Recall that there have been instances of missing government cash in previous years that have been attributed to strange circumstances with little to no responsibility or investigation.
Atiku emphasized in a statement he personally signed and made public on Sunday that every kobo allotted to the health sector must be used effectively due to the country’s declining resources and the withdrawal of foreign assistance for essential healthcare services.

The lack of transparency in the government’s plans for using these monies was questioned by the former vice president.

We have read that the Federal Government intends to invest an astounding $1.07 billion in the primary health sector,” he stated. This sum is on top of the N2.48 trillion that was first suggested for the health sector in the budget’s original draft.

Former PDP presidential candidate Atiku had concerns about the sources of the extra $1.07 billion, stating that foreign loans accounted for the majority of the funding, with a portion coming from an international donor organization.

He argued that Nigerians should be informed about the specifics of these loans, including how they would be paid back and how the money will be used efficiently.

It is necessary for the Nigerian people to be aware of the specifics of these loans and for their expenditures to be communicated in a policy package that explains how they will be used, he stated. In other words, Nigeria is expected to repay these loans.

Atiku called it odd that the Federal Government had not included a commitment to the development of physical infrastructure in its health budget.

The money will be used to improve primary healthcare services and healthcare governance, the administration said in an official statement. This covers the hiring, educating, and retaining of teachers and healthcare professionals at the subnational level.

Atiku, however, contested this rationale, claiming that the budget might be mishandled in the absence of explicit accountability procedures.

He stated: “Nigerians cannot afford to accept a poor explanation of a budgetary provision that lacks a mechanism to track how the money is to be expended, especially for an administration that has been known to have a deficiency of trust in the administration of its humanitarian services.”

The opposition leader also charged the administration with deceiving Nigerians about the state of the nation’s tertiary hospitals, claiming that despite assurances of progress, these establishments are devoid of essential amenities like a reliable power source.

Atiku attacked the administration of President Bola Tinubu, claiming that inadequate money and a lack of openness were the main reasons for the health sector’s failure.

He emphasized that HIV/AIDS, TB, and malaria continue to be significant health issues in Nigeria’s primary healthcare system. He asked how these problems will be addressed using the intervention cash.

“The Nigerian government should explain how it intends to use this intervention fund to address these diseases in the primary health sector if President Tinubu’s administration truly meant to prioritize the health of Nigerians,” Atiku continued.

He also called the N5 billion allotment a “paltry sum” and criticized the government’s response to the US government’s decision to stop sponsoring HIV/AIDS treatment in Nigeria.

Atiku cautioned that Nigerians would perceive the budget as just another scam masquerading as public interest spending unless the Tinubu administration offers a clear structure for how the $1.07 billion allotted to the health sector will be used and tracked.

In order to guarantee accountability, he encouraged the administration to set up public auditing procedures and submit the appropriations to National Assembly examination.

According to Atiku, “it may be safe to conclude that this is another episode of the administration committing a fraud in the name of public interest if the Tinubu administration fails to provide a comprehensive framework to safeguard its purported huge investment in the health sector or subject the appropriations to the scrutiny of the National Assembly.”