Obi Slams ‘Lavish’ Expenditure in 2023 Supplementary Budget, Calls For Focus On National Welfare

In a scathing critique of the approved N2.17 trillion 2023 supplementary budget, former Anambra state governor and Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, lambasted the government’s allocation of funds for what he termed “lavish indulgence.”

Speaking on Wednesday on his X page (formerly Twitter)  after the budget was signed into law by President Bola Tinubu, Obi took to social media to express his dissatisfaction.

Highlighting specific items such as the “Presidential Yacht, Presidential Jets, the furnishing of already lavishly furnished presidential quarters and offices, fleets of luxury SUVs,” Obi argued that these expenditures do not align with the urgent needs of the nation.

He asserted, “The least that Nigerians expect from the government at this difficult moment is empathy and realism, not lavish indulgence.”

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Obi emphasized the original purpose of a supplementary budget, stating, “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.”

He criticized the absence of items addressing urgent social welfare in the current supplementary budget.

Furthermore, the former governor argued that the funds could have been better utilized to address the looming food crisis in the country, citing warnings from the United Nations and World Food Programme that approximately 6.5 million Nigerians will face hunger next year.

President Tinubu’s signing of the budget, which includes allocations for renovating the state houses, SUVs for the First Lady, and a controversial N5 billion for a presidential yacht (later withdrawn after public outcry), has sparked widespread public condemnation.

Many Nigerians are questioning the priorities of the government, especially in the face of fiscal challenges and a growing public debt.

Obi’s outspoken criticism adds to the growing chorus of voices demanding a reevaluation of budgetary priorities and a focus on urgent national needs over what he perceives as “lavish indulgence.”