A spokesperson for the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, Alwan Hassan, has alleged that some ministers pay billions of naira to secure appointments and subsequently seek to recover the money.
Hassan made the allegation during an interview on Arise News on Thursday while defending President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s direct oversight of government revenue and expenditure.
“The way Asiwaju is hands-on on the expenditure of our revenue is fantastic and I love it. 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.
Hassan, however, stated that the practice had been going on in the country for years, clarifying that he was not referring specifically to ministers serving under the APC-led government.
“But this is the truth I’m telling you about our country. Not just APC. Before APC, the biggest fraudulent people you arrest after every government are ministers,” he added.
He made the remarks while responding to questions about the government’s inability to fully fund its budgets despite its financial commitments.
Hassan argued that Tinubu’s personal involvement in spending decisions had helped the administration manage public funds, questioning the need to leave budget implementation entirely to ministers.
“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 said.
The APC campaign spokesman also defended the administration’s record on pension payments, claiming that it had released funds to settle outstanding entitlements owed to retired federal civil servants.
He said the government had introduced an exit benefit scheme for retiring civil servants, which he described as a measure to ensure they received their retirement entitlements without delay.
Hassan also cited government investments in electricity metering and technology, including electric vehicles, surveillance drones and local ammunition production, as evidence of the administration’s performance.
He maintained that the government’s achievements would strengthen the APC’s chances ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
