Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has strongly criticized the National Assembly following revelations by civic tech group BudgIT that over ₦7 trillion worth of questionable projects were inserted into the 2025 national budget.
In a statement posted on his verified X (formerly Twitter) account, Obi said the exposé confirms his long-standing belief that Nigeria has become a “crime scene,” where public funds are looted with impunity and without accountability.
The former Anambra State governor expressed alarm at the sheer scale of the alleged budget padding, warning that such reckless financial mismanagement hinders the country’s ability to tackle pressing developmental issues.
“I am convinced that this figure represents only a fraction of the actual amount misappropriated,” Obi stated.
He pointed out that the ₦7 trillion allegedly inserted into the budget surpasses the combined allocations for critical ministries, including Health (₦2.48 trillion), Education (₦3.52 trillion), Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (₦260 billion), and Agriculture and Food Security (₦636.08 billion)—a total of ₦6.896 trillion.
“That ₦7 trillion figure is even more than the ₦6.1 trillion allocated to national security—at a time when Nigeria ranks among the most terrorised nations globally,” he added.
Obi described the situation as a shocking misplacement of priorities, particularly at a time when the country is grappling with widespread poverty, insecurity, hunger, and a crumbling healthcare and education system.
“This brazen impunity by the leaders is why the country cannot invest adequately in education, despite having nearly 20 million out-of-school children,” he said. “It is the same corruption that has crippled primary healthcare, leaving millions of children malnourished.”
He emphasized that continued corruption and a lack of transparency in public finance are major reasons the country cannot properly fund security or support small businesses critical to economic growth.
Obi called for urgent and aggressive measures to fight corruption, eliminate wasteful spending, and ensure fiscal responsibility in managing the nation’s scarce resources.
“Our national resources must be transparently managed and strategically invested in key sectors—health, education, and poverty alleviation—to secure a better future for our people,” he emphasized.
Ending on a note of hope, Obi reaffirmed his vision for the country:
“We must turn this nation around. A new Nigeria is POssible.”