A spokesperson for the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has alleged that some ministers pay billions of naira to secure their appointments and later seek to recover the money while in office.
Alwan Hassan made the claim during an interview on Arise Television, arguing that President Bola Tinubu’s direct involvement in spending decisions was preferable to giving ministers control over government funds.
Hassan said the practice reflected a longstanding problem of corruption among public officials.
“A lot of ministers pay billions and billions, and you know, to get themselves appointed. The first thing they think of is how to recoup that money,” he said.
He did not name any ministers or provide specific evidence to support the allegation.
Hassan also questioned the need for ministers to control budgetary allocations, saying Tinubu had personally handled responsibilities ordinarily managed through the budget process over the past three and a half years.
“Whatever it is a budget is supposed to do in this country in the last three and a half years, Asiwaju has done it by himself. Why do we need ministers? Why do we need budget to be given to ministers?” he asked.
He praised the president’s hands-on approach to government expenditure.
“The way Asiwaju is hands-on on the expenditure of our revenue is fantastic, and I love it,” Hassan said.
The APC official further claimed that corruption involving ministers was not limited to the ruling party, adding that officials in such positions had repeatedly featured in corruption cases under successive governments.
“The biggest fraudulent people you arrest after every government are ministers,” he said.
The allegations were not accompanied by concrete evidence during the interview.
