Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has questioned the Federal Government over a ₦6.44 billion allocation in the 2026 Appropriation Act for Nigeria’s FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, despite the Super Eagles having already been eliminated from the race months before the budget was signed into law.
In a statement issued by his media office, Atiku described the budget provision as another indication of what he called irregularities in the 2026 budget. He argued that allocating billions of naira to a competition Nigeria was no longer participating in raises serious concerns about fiscal discipline, transparency and accountability in the management of public funds.
The former vice president called on the Federal Government to provide a detailed explanation for the allocation and urged the National Assembly to investigate the matter. According to him, Nigerians deserve to know the purpose of the expenditure and whether the funds were intended for activities unrelated to the country’s World Cup qualification campaign.
An analysis of the 2026 budget by the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) showed that the allocation appears under the National Sports Commission as “Special (Presidential) Support Group for 2026 World Cup Qualifiers,” even though Nigeria’s qualification hopes ended in November 2025 after losing to the Democratic Republic of Congo in the final qualifying playoff.
The controversy has added to ongoing public scrutiny of the 2026 budget, with Atiku urging the Tinubu administration to uphold greater transparency in public spending and ensure that all budgetary allocations reflect genuine national priorities and are subjected to proper legislative oversight.
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