The Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, has again condemned the financial recklessness and misplacement of priorities in the allocation of funds by the federal government.
A statement by Obi’s spokesperson, Dr. Tanko Yunusa, yesterday, said the former Anambra governor knocked the continued deployment of public resources to nonessential areas of development, reports Daily Sun.
Obi expressed sadness that despite the poor and embarrassing position of Nigeria in the global average in school enrolment, the government is budgeting a paltry N1 billion for the construction of hostels in 12 tertiary institutions while N10 billion is going for building of car parks and recreational facilities.
According to Tanko, Obi wrote on his X platform, saying: “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 enrolment is above 80 percent, but Nigeria is 28 percent.
“The global average of tertiary school enrolment is above 55 percent, while Nigeria is less than 15 percent. 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 prioritising the allocation of resources to the critical areas of human and national development,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, Obi has admonished the LP faithful across the country to embrace reconciliation for a better society.
Obi, who was at the national secretariat of the party alongside other loyalists in the Federal Capital Territory, also endorsed the newly elected National Working Committee (NWC) of the party led by Julius Abure.
He urged aggrieved party members to put the survival of Nigerians and Nigeria above all other interests.
He noted that Nigerians were passing through difficult times.
