Again, Obi highlights ‘insensitive, undeserving’ allocations in 2024 budget

By John Akubo, Abuja | 17 April 2024 | 4:17 am

Peter Obi

Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in last year’s general elections, Peter Obi, has again highlighted “lopsided allocations” in the 2024 federal budget.

In his previous remarks on the Appropriation Act, the former governor of Anambra State called for a total review of the document. He insisted that there were various misplacements of priorities tilted against poor and vulnerable Nigerians.

Obi expressed dismay that the National Assembly Hospital was receiving a whooping N15 billion for one year, an amount that he noted, is five times more than the votes of the National Hospital and six other premier teaching hospitals in the country.

The ex-governor made the observation yesterday via his verified X handle.He wrote: “I will remain persistent in my expressions of deep concern about the 2024 budget because of its critical importance to the lives of the citizens, especially the poor in our midst.

“I will continue to do so until the end of the year as a matter of patriotic engagement. This is because the many negatives of the budget have far-reaching implications for the development of our dear nation and the well-being of our citizens.

“It is evident that there are items in the budget that do not align with our current circumstances, and it is imperative to call for a review and appropriate virement. Allocating our scarce resources to high-priority areas of need is essential for the well-being of the nation.

“For instance, allocating N15 billion solely for the National Assembly Hospital is unacceptable, especially when 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, namely University College Hospital, Ibadan; University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu; Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria; Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife; Jos University Teaching Hospital and University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital.”

He said the disparity reflects a low level of care for the rest of society. Obi went on: “Similarly, justifying a budgetary allocation of N15.3 billion for the National Assembly library project and procurement of books, including the e-Library, in a country without a National Library is very disappointing.

“The National Library has been under construction for the past 20 years, and its budgetary allocation for 2024 is less than N1 billion, which makes the National Assembly library budget 15 times more.

“Again the National Assembly library budget is more than the combined budget of the top national universities’ libraries that desperately need the libraries for research, teaching and learning purposes.

“Furthermore, allocating N10 billion for the Senate and House of Representatives car parks and the National Assembly Recreation Centre, while allocating less to the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, is concerning. In an era where science, technology and innovation are crucial for the nation’s future, such allocations demonstrate a lack of foresight and basic awareness of global trends and urgent national priorities.”

Again, Obi highlights ‘insensitive, undeserving’ allocations in 2024 budget

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