Tinubu’s 2026 Budget Allocates N8.05 Billion for Churches and Mosques While Nigerians Lack Roads, Water and Healthcare

West Africa WeeklyJuly 22, 20262 Mins read12

The Federal Government has earmarked N8.05 billion in the 2026 budget for the construction, renovation and equipping of churches and mosques across Nigeria, according to an analysis by public accountability organisation Tracka. The allocation comprises N1.91 billion for seven church-related projects and N6.14 billion for 52 mosque-related projects. This is happening while millions of Nigerians in villages across the country lack good healthcare, roads, drinking water and electricity.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has strongly condemned the allocation, accusing the Tinubu administration of using religion to shield questionable public spending. In a statement issued on Tuesday, Atiku said that while faith occupies a sacred place in national life, it must never become a sanctuary for opaque budgeting or questionable public expenditure. He demanded that the presidency immediately publish the names of every beneficiary institution, every project location, every implementing agency, and the legal basis for the allocations.

Atiku noted that unlike roads, schools and hospitals, which are ordinarily identified by location and beneficiary, the religious project allocations reportedly fail to identify many of the specific beneficiary churches and mosques, making independent verification difficult. He warned that if the appropriations are genuine, the government should disclose full details; anything less will reinforce the growing perception that religion is being exploited as a convenient cover for diverting public resources.

The Northern Christian Elders’ Forum (NOSCEF) has also rejected the allocation, describing it as ill-timed, unnecessary and inconsistent with Nigeria’s pressing national priorities. The forum argued that places of worship should be funded by their members rather than the government, and questioned whether the allocation violates Section 10 of the 1999 Constitution, which prohibits the adoption of any religion as a state religion. “At a time when millions of Nigerians are battling insecurity, hunger, poverty and unemployment, it is difficult to justify the use of scarce public resources for the renovation or construction of places of worship,” the forum said. It urged President Tinubu to redirect the funds to security, economic recovery, healthcare, education and other critical national needs.

Timi Frank, former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, has also alleged that the Tinubu administration is now synonymous with fraud over the controversy surrounding the 2026 budget. He argued that the recurring controversies over government spending had continued to erode public confidence in the administration.

This is not an isolated incident. The government that cannot provide basic infrastructure to villages has found N8.05 billion to build and renovate places of worship. The government that presides over the highest number of out-of-school children in the world has found billions for churches and mosques. The government that cannot pay its workers a living wage has found billions to hide behind the altar and the minbar. Atiku put it best: “God is not a laundering machine for public funds”. The Tinubu administration has crossed the moral red line by dragging the altar and the minbar into the marketplace of opaque budgeting.