The Digest:
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has said Nigeria's fiscal structure under President Bola Tinubu's administration is flawed, with the country earning more revenue while citizens receive less benefit. Reacting to a World Bank report (since deleted from its website), Atiku said the contradiction points to "a system vulnerable to abuse, leakage, and possible diversion of public funds." He called for urgent structural reforms, including bringing all agency funding under the formal budgetary process.
Key Points:
- Atiku said excessive deductions from national revenue before distribution reduce funds for governance.
- He warned that rising revenues coexisting with deepening poverty raise serious questions.
- He called for cost-of-collection mechanisms to be reviewed and reduced.
- The National Assembly must exercise full oversight over every naira earned, he said.
- The World Bank deleted the report from its website three days after publication.
