"You Can’t Be Feasting While Telling People to Fast" - Peter Obi Slams Government Excess Spending“

 

Former presidential candidate and Labour Party leader, Peter Obi, has strongly criticized the Nigerian government's excessive spending habits, emphasizing the need for fiscal responsibility and accountability in public service. Obi's remarks were made in response to the government's lavish expenditures, which he believes are exacerbating the country's economic hardship.¹

*Excessive Spending Examples:*

- *$100 million for a new presidential jet*: Obi questions the priority of such spending when 38 million Nigerians are on the brink of extreme hunger.

- *N21 billion for renovating the Vice President's lodge*: Obi argues that such luxury projects are unnecessary and divert resources away from critical sectors.

- *N15 billion allocated for building the National Assembly clinic*: Obi emphasizes that such spending is wasteful and misaligned with the country's development needs.² ³

*Call for Fiscal Responsibility:*

- *Prioritize critical sectors*: Obi urges the government to allocate resources to vital areas like health, education, poverty alleviation, and agriculture.

- *Transparency and accountability*: He emphasizes the need for the government to provide a detailed breakdown of their spending and ensure that borrowed funds are used productively.⁴

*Context:*

- *N70 trillion budget fraud*: Obi has also raised concerns about the staggering amount of corruption in the 2025 national budget, with BudgIT uncovering N7 trillion in suspicious projects.

- *Poverty and hunger*: With Nigeria being the poverty capital of the world, Obi stresses that the government's spending habits are fuelling the hunger crisis.⁵ ⁶