The Labour Party Presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, Peter Obi, on Monday tasked the Executive and Legislative arms of government to immensely commence the review of the 2024 budget and deploy funds to critical areas.
Reacting to the controversies trailing the 2024 budget, Obi said it is still very early in the day for the appropriations to be revisited and ensure that the public resources go to critical areas like security, and fighting poverty, among others.
Writing in his X handle on Monday, the former Anambra State Governor said: “Having followed the controversies trailing the 2024 budget, and having read some of the budgetary provisions and allocations of resources, “I wish to respectfully appeal for a total review of the entire budget.
“The Executive and Legislative arms should initiate an immediate review of the budget as it is still in the early days of implementation to enable them do urgent virement of resources to critical areas.
“The nation’s resources should adequately be appropriated to critical areas like security, fighting poverty and solving the challenges of hunger and food insecurity, and power supply, especially considering the difficult times that we are in.
“In the past 1 year, about 7000 Nigerians have been kidnapped, with about 700 kidnapped in the last 3 weeks, notwithstanding the violent crimes and killings that occur in every part of the nation, which must have included us in one of the world’s riskiest countries to live in.
“A report by the globally respected publication, Financial Times, on March 12, 2024, described Nigeria’s kidnapping racket as a sign of a failed state. With all of these happening in our nation, how then can we attract foreign investors, and retain the confidence of local investors?
“We have become one of the hungriest nations in the world and one of the most difficult nations in the world to live in, with food prices constantly going out of the reach of most Nigerians.
“Power supply is abysmally poor and Nigerians are now mostly in total darkness, as over 60% are without power supply.
“Even those in perceived privileged areas now go for days without power supply.
“A 2022 Energy Progress Report designated Nigeria as the country with the largest number of people lacking access to electricity with 92 million of its over 200 million population living without electricity.
“About 80 per cent of our primary healthcare centres are not functional. The cost of medical treatments and medicines has gone beyond the reach of most Nigerians.
“We now hold the enviable position of having the highest number of out-of-school children, with about 20 million out-of-school children.
“We need to take our children off the streets and give them access to basic education.
“I, therefore, urge our executive and legislative arms to consider the many challenges facing our nation and re-allocate resources to these very critical areas.
“This is the time for complete sacrifice. A New Nigeria is still very POssible.