Atiku demands independent probe of ₦6.44bn World Cup budget

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called for an independent investigation into a 6.44 billion naira allocation in Nigeria's 2026 federal budget designated for a Special Presidential Support Group for the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers, despite the national team's elimination from the qualification race months earlier. The demand, issued on July 16, 2026, has ignited a debate over budget transparency and drawn a sharp rebuttal from a youth sports advocacy group.

Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, questioned the rationale for the allocation, noting that Nigeria's Super Eagles were eliminated from World Cup qualification in November 2025, approximately one month before the 2026 Appropriation Bill was presented to the National Assembly. He argued the provision raises serious questions about the integrity of the national budgeting process and reinforces public suspicion that the budget contains questionable allocations without clear public purpose.

The former vice president linked the disputed World Cup provision to the ongoing controversy surrounding the purported Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) and the arrest of its...