Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has accused Bola Tinubu of unlawfully withdrawing ₦100 billion every month from the federation account without constitutional backing or legislative approval.
In a now-viral interview on Arise TV, which was shared on X by @omoluabi1sq, El-Rufai said the unauthorised deductions have been going on for over 15 months, amounting to a total of ₦1.5 trillion.
“Every month, President Bola Tinubu deducts ₦100B from the Federation account. This is unconstitutional and an impeachable offence,” El-Rufai declared.
He further disclosed that the funds are allegedly allocated to security agencies, despite the worsening state of insecurity across the country. “For the last 12 months, up to 18 months, every month, 100 billion Naira is deducted from the federation account and sent to the security agencies. Why then is there no improvement?” he asked.
The former minister questioned the opaque nature of the deductions, emphasising that neither the National Assembly nor the State Assemblies approved the massive expenditure. “The ₦100 billion that leaves the federation accounts, by the way, is without appropriation by the National Assembly, without appropriation by the State Assembly. The entire reduction in expenditure is unconstitutional and an impeachable offence, and it has been going on for more than 15 months,” he added.
El-Rufai also raised concerns about the deteriorating security situation, comparing current figures with previous years under Buhari. “In 2014, over 2.2 million Nigerians were abducted. 615,000 were killed. Is Nigeria at war? These numbers are worse than the eight years of Buhari.”
He also claimed that Tinubu has failed to launch or complete any new federal project in nearly two years, despite access to significantly more revenue than previous administrations.
“Tinubu went to Kaduna to commission projects. 90% of them were projects I did and took the 90% plus. No new project has been initiated and commissioned in two years by this administration, even though they have had much more money.”
El-Rufai further alleged that the federal government has weakened oversight of state-level projects for political reasons. “The federal oversight of state projects is very weak because the president wants all the governors to be in APC,” he said.
The explosive remarks have triggered heated reactions online, with Nigerians expressing outrage, scepticism, and political frustration. While some users questioned El-Rufai’s sudden outspokenness after supporting Tinubu’s rise to power, others focused on the lack of transparency around the alleged monthly deductions.
