The 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has stated his commitment to consistently raise concerns about the 2024 budget, stressing its critical impact on the lives of citizens, particularly the impoverished.
Obi argued in a statement via X on Tuesday that the budget’s numerous negatives have far-reaching implications for the nation’s development and the well-being of its citizens.
Obi highlighted the presence of items in the budget that do not align with our current circumstances. He stressed the importance of calling for a review and appropriate virement, emphasizing that allocating our scarce resources to high-priority areas of need is essential for the well-being of the nation.
Obi objected to several specific allocations in the budget, noting that assigning N15 billion exclusively for the National Assembly hospital is unacceptable, especially since it exceeds five times the budgetary allocation to The National Hospital or the combined capital vote of our six major teaching hospitals across the nation.
He further listed the teaching hospitals including University College Hospital, Ibadan; University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu among others.
He observed that this inequality demonstrates a lack of consideration for the rest of society and also condemned the N15.3 billion set aside for the National Assembly library project and book procurement, which includes the e-Library.
Noting that the National Library has been under construction for the past two decades, he highlighted that its budget for 2024 is less than 1B Naira, resulting in the National Assembly Library budget being 15 times larger.
Furthermore, Obi also voiced his concerns regarding the allocation of N10 billion for the Senate’s and House of Representatives car parks and the National Assembly Recreation Centre, while allocating a smaller amount to the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation.
