Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) on Wednesday, says it is very surprising that the huge sum of N3 billion was approved for the verification of poor Nigerians.
Mr Obi who made his displeasure known in series of tweets on X, said it was now a matter of urgency to reduce the cost of governance.
The former Anambra governor was reacting to a memo in the public domain, signed by Femi Gbajabiamila, the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, conveying his principal’s approval of the said sum for the verification of poor Nigerians.
Mr Gbajabiamila, in the document dated September 18, 2023, wrote to Betta Edu, the suspended Humanitarian and Poverty Alleviation minister being probed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged disbursement of public funds into a private account.
In his reaction, the opposition leader said the approved sum was thrice higher than what was approved for the national library, “a very critical infrastructure in our nation, seemingly abandoned, lacks books and educational materials.”
“It is very surprising to hear that the sum of N3 billion was approved for verification of national register of the poor. This can only happen in Nigeria. I have maintained that we must decisively deal with the issue of cost of governance in Nigeria now as a matter of urgency,” Mr Obi said. “Sadly, this very huge amount approved just for verification of national register of the poor is more than three times the amount of N908,699,435 which was budgeted for our National Library.
“This is happening at a time in our nation when we need all the manpower training to to keep our work force productive. Our national library, a very critical infrastructure in our nation, seemingly abandoned, lacks books and educational materials.
“The same amount, would have made a significant impact, if prudently and transparently managed. Moreso, with more than half of our population battling with absolute and multi dimensional poverty, one wonders why such a huge sum was approved for just verification of national register of the poor, when the same amount could have been directed towards actual poverty alleviation. This approval raises a fundamental question: how come the data for poverty alleviation has not been verified on a regular basis?
“The inability of we the leaders to prioritise our expenditure and focus on the critical areas of national development, and national security, are the challenges weighing down on our nation today.
“Unless we begin to sacrifice our personal comfort for the good of society, and begin to care more for the people, especially the less privileged ones, our nation will continue to grapple with all forms of societal ills caused by high level of poverty,” the former governor added.
