By Sa’adiyyah Adebisi Hassan
In public service, there are those who manage appearances and those who confront reality. Wale Edun belongs to the latter.
His exit from the office is not a story of conflict, but one of contribution. Under the leadership of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, he served with a level of candour that is rare in governance. And that honesty deserves to be acknowledged not misunderstood.
Wale Edun didn’t play the usual game. He didn’t massage numbers to please the system. He didn’t decorate the failure with grammar. Instead, he pulled back the curtain and what Nigerians saw wasn’t pretty.
He called for the audit of NNPC’s alleged missing ₦210 trillion. Not whispers. Not rumours. A direct call. That alone shook tables that many prefer untouched.
He openly admitted that the Federal Government missed its 2025 revenue target by a staggering ₦30 trillion. No sugarcoating. Just raw, uncomfortable truth.
He pointed out what many insiders know but rarely say: budget execution under Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been weak. Not “challenging,” not “work in progress,” poor.
And then he exposed the financial juggling act, Nigeria running overlapping budgets like a system on autopilot, where one year bleeds into another with no clear accountability. Extended 2024. Active 2025. Confusion packaged as governance.
As if that wasn’t enough, he revealed that about 70% of the capital component of the proposed 2026 budget is not even fresh thinking, it’s recycled obligations from 2025. A rollover economy pretending to move forward.
This is what service should look like: not blind agreement, but informed contribution.
And it is important to say this clearly, his departure does not erase his impact. Nor does it suggest disapproval. Leadership evolves, teams change and governance moves forward. That is the nature of administration.
President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has shown appreciation for those who serve with dedication and Wale Edun’s role fits squarely within that legacy. His time in office reflects a commitment to addressing Nigeria’s economic realities head-on.
So this is not a goodbye rooted in controversy. It is a recognition of service.
Thank you, Wale Edun, for your honesty.
Thank you for your willingness to confront difficult numbers.
Thank you for contributing to a conversation Nigeria must continue to have.
And as the administration continues its work, your voice remains part of the foundation one that values truth, reform and progress.
Hassan writes from Lagos
