The 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, has criticised the 2025 budget proposal, stating it lacks the structural reforms and fiscal discipline needed to confront Nigeria’s economic challenges.
In a statement on Sunday, Atiku expressed doubts about the budget’s potential to drive sustainable growth and tackle persistent issues.
President Bola Tinubu presented the N47.9 trillion 2025 budget to a joint session of the National Assembly, with N4.91 trillion allocated to defence and security. Infrastructure followed with N4.06 trillion, while health and education were assigned N2.48 trillion and N3.52 trillion respectively.
Atiku responded, stating, “The 2025 budget lacks the structural reforms and fiscal discipline required to address Nigeria’s multifaceted economic challenges.
The administration must reduce inefficiencies, tackle inflated contracts, and focus on long-term fiscal sustainability instead of perpetuating unsustainable borrowing and recurrent spending.”
He highlighted that the N48 trillion budget, with a revenue projection of N35 trillion, leaves a deficit of over N13 trillion—approximately 4% of GDP.
According to Atiku, this continues a trend of deficits and heavy reliance on borrowing under the APC-led government since 2016