- Condemns Budget of N10b for Parks and Recreation
- N1b for Hostels in 12 Tertiary Institutions
From Idu Jude, Abuja
Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 Presidential Candidate, has criticized the federal government’s allocation of funds, calling it “financial recklessness” and a “misplacement of priorities.”
In a press statement released by his spokesperson, Dr Tanko Yunusa, on Monday, Obi argued that the government’s continued deployment of public resources to non-essential areas is unacceptable.
Dr. Tanko’s statement highlighted Obi’s concerns regarding Nigeria’s poor performance in school enrollment compared to the global average. Despite this, the government has budgeted only N1 billion for the construction of hostels in 12 tertiary institutions, while allocating a significantly higher N10 billion for the construction of car parks and recreational facilities.
Obi also pointed to the controversial proposal by the Bola Tinubu administration to purchase a holiday yacht for the President, which was met with public outcry for failing to address the country’s pressing economic issues.
In a post on his social media platform, Obi stated:
“As the giant of Africa which we are, I remain concerned about our fiscal indiscipline as a nation. Imagine the situation in our Education sector where the global average of Secondary School enrollment is above 80%, while Nigeria is 28%. The global Average of Tertiary School enrollment is above 55%, while Nigeria is less than 15%. Yet, our budget for the National Assembly Car Parks is N6 billion. The budget for the National Assembly Recreational Facilities is N4 billion. Approved for the Construction of Hostels in 12 tertiary Institutions is just N1 billion. It is time for us to stop this financial indiscipline and embrace financial discipline by prioritizing the allocation of resources to the critical areas of human and national development.”