THUR, NOV 09 2023-theGBJournal| Nigeria’s N2.1 trillion 2023 supplementary budget was dismissed on Wednesday as ”totally uncaring and insensitive to the suffering of the majority, and indifferent to the mood of the nation,” by Peter Obi, Labour Party of Nigeria (LP) frontliner.
Obi is vexed by the absence of what he says are ”the most pressing national needs and emergencies.”
”For example, the United Nations and World Food Programme have recently alerted that up to 6.5 million Nigerians will go hungry next year.
This number is largely from among citizens in Sokoto, Adamawa, Borno, Yobe, and Zamfara States. A caring Government in order to plan for the mitigation of such pending catastrophe can request for supplementary budget provisions to cushion those under threat.,” he said in a statement released on his X handle.
Peter Obi had made it clear that he will position the Labour Party as an effective opposition, and his remarks on the budget signed by President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday reflects LP’s intention to objectively criticize government’s unpopular spending and reform policies.
The signed budget contains expenditure for defence, security and infrastructure to be allocated to the Federal Ministries of Works, the Federal Capital Territory, and Housing and Urban Development.
It also contains allocation to the new Wage Award for treasury-paid federal workers to cushion the effect of the removal of fuel subsidy, in addition to cash transfers to vulnerable persons, and support to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), amongst other considerations.
”No item of urgent social welfare has yet featured in the supplementary budget being orchestrated by this government,” Obi said.
”Instead, the items being made to dominate public discourse on the budget include a mysterious Presidential Yacht, Presidential Jets, the furnishing of already lavishly furnished presidential quarters and offices, fleets of luxury SUVs etc. This portrays a Government that is totally uncaring and insensitive to the suffering of the majority, and indifferent to the mood of the nation.”
He added; ”the government’s overall attitude does not indicate that it is aware that the country is in a huge crisis, nor is the government in tune with the plight of the generality of our people. Even worse is the fact that most of the funding for these profligate expenditures will be largely borrowed.
The least that Nigerians expect from the government at this difficult moment is empathy and realism, not lavish indulgence.”
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