The Labour Party Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi has criticised the Supplementary 2023 Budget signed into law by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday, saying it does not reflect mostly urgent items of national welfare.
Peter Obi on his Twitter (X) account with the title: Observations on the Supplementary Budget said a supplementary budget is a budget made for very important national welfare needs of the people which were not captured originally in the main budget, or do not have adequate funding.
At the State House, the President, Tinubu signed the N2.176 trillion Supplementary Appropriation Act on Wednesday in Abuja to strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture and address Nigeria’s critical infrastructure deficit, amongst other considerations.
Providing a breakdown of the supplementary budget, the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Sen. Abubakar Bagudu, said the newly approved expenditure for defence and security consists of about thirty percent.
He added that thirty-five percent is dedicated to the provision of critical infrastructure to be allocated to the Federal Ministries of Works, the Federal Capital Territory, and Housing & Urban Development.
The Minister further explained that thirty-two percent of the supplementary budget was allocated to the new Wage Award for treasury-paid federal workers to cushion the effect of the removal of fuel subsidy.
“Which is in addition to cash transfers to vulnerable persons, and support to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), amongst other considerations”, the Minister said.
Peter Obi while playing opposition said, “Admittedly, some items in current budget may not have taken into consideration needs of a new administration, but it is expected that a supplementary budget this late in financial year should reflect mostly urgent items of national welfare.
He said, “Sadly, the most pressing national needs and emergencies have not featured in the supplementary budget that was just announced by the government.
Obi cited an example of the United Nations and World Food Programme who recently alerted that up to 6.5 million Nigerians will go hungry next year with number largely from among citizens in Sokoto, Adamawa, Borno, Yobe, and Zamfara States.
The LP Presidential candidate emphasized that 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.
According to him, “No item of urgent social welfare yet featured in the supplementary budget being orchestrated by this govt. 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 noted that 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 the people.
“Even worse is the fact that most of the funding for these profligate expenditures will belargely borrowed. The least that Nigerians expect from the government at this difficult moment is empathy and realism, not lavish indulgence”, Peter Obi criticized.
