Labor Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has criticized the administration of President Bola Tinubu, saying Nigeria is in a major crisis.
Obi accused the presidential administration of including “a mysterious presidential yacht, a presidential jet, furniture for the already lavishly furnished presidential palace and offices, and luxury SUV vehicles” in the recently signed supplementary budget, even though the most pressing national needs were omitted.
On Wednesday night, Obi wrote in X.
A Consideration of the Supplemental Budget,” and wrote: “A supplemental budget is a budget set aside for the very important welfare needs of the people that were not originally included in the main budget or for which there were not enough funds available.
It is true that some items in the current budget may not be taken into account by the new administration, but it is hoped that the supplementary budget to be prepared later this fiscal year will reflect the urgent needs of the people, especially those related to their welfare.
Unfortunately, the supplementary budgets just announced by the government do not include urgent national needs and emergencies. For example, the United Nations and the World Food Program (WFP) recently warned that up to 6.5 million Nigerians will suffer from hunger next year. This number is mostly citizens of Sokoto, Adamawa, Borno, Yobe, and Zamfara states. A caring government could call for supplemental budgetary measures to alleviate the threatened population in order to plan for the mitigation of such a catastrophe.
The supplemental budget compiled by this government does not yet include an urgent social welfare line item. Instead, what dominates public opinion on the budget are the mysterious presidential yacht, the presidential jet, the already lavishly furnished presidential residence and Oval Office furniture, and luxury SUVs. This portrays a government that is totally indifferent and insensitive to the suffering of the majority and indifferent to the mood of the people.
The overall attitude of the government does not seem to recognize that the country is in a great crisis, nor does it seem to be in tune with the plight of the people in general.” To make matters worse, most of the funds for these profligate expenditures are being financed by debt. What Nigerians expect from their government in these difficult times is empathy and pragmatism, not extravagant profligate spending.”
