The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has said a recent report by the United States Department of State supports his longstanding concerns about fiscal transparency and accountability under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Atiku’s media office, in a statement, cited the report’s observations on Nigeria’s budget process, including concerns over the disclosure of government revenues and expenditures.

The US report acknowledged that the Nigerian government made its enacted budget and end-of-year report publicly accessible, but faulted the administration for failing to publish its executive budget proposal within a reasonable timeframe.

It also raised concerns that Nigeria’s budget documents did not provide a sufficiently complete picture of government revenues and expenditures or adequately detail spending on executive offices.

The report further noted discrepancies between the revenues and expenditures recorded during budget implementation and the figures contained in the approved budget.

The US assessment also criticised the Office of the Auditor-General, saying it fell short of international standards on institutional independence and had not published substantive reports.

According to the report, Nigeria did not meet the minimum requirements for fiscal transparency during the period under review, citing inadequate timely and detailed disclosure of public finances and weaknesses in audit processes.

Atiku’s media office said the findings reinforced the former vice-president’s repeated criticism of the Tinubu administration over what he described as a lack of transparency in the management of public resources.

The statement quoted Atiku as maintaining that Nigerians must be able to track how public funds are generated and spent, arguing that greater transparency is necessary to attract investment, combat corruption and strengthen public confidence in government.

“Transparency is not a slogan. It is the foundation of good governance,” Atiku was quoted as saying.

He further argued that public resources belonged to Nigerians and should not be treated as the private resources of the President, his family or associates.

Atiku has consistently called for greater disclosure and accountability in the management of Nigeria’s finances, saying access to accurate fiscal information is essential to ensuring effective governance.