Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has faulted the signing into law of N2.17 trillion supplementary budget by President Bola Tinubu.
Nigerians have registered their criticisms on some items provided in the supplementary budget including the N5 billion for presidential yacht, saying its purchase shows insensitivity on the part of the government.
Despite the agitations of the Nigerian people, Tinubu assented to the supplementary budget at his office in the Presidential Villa Abuja on Wednesday.
Reacting on his X account, Obi said that the purpose of the supplementary budget is to meet the social welfare of the people, which this has lacked.
The budget was signed in the presence of Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas.
In the statement titled ‘Observations on the Supplementary Budget’, the former Anambra governor noted that “no item of urgent social welfare” was included in the budget.
He faulted the additional budget for including procurement of yacht and jets, renovation of quarters, and purchase of cars for government officials at the expense of Nigerians grappling with hardship.
“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 wrote.
“Admittedly, some items in the current budget may not have taken into consideration the needs of a new administration, but it is expected that a supplementary budget this late in the financial year should reflect mostly urgent items of national welfare.
“No item of urgent social welfare has yet featured in the supplementary budget being orchestrated by this government.
“Instead, the items being made to dominate public discourse on the budget include a mysterious Presidential Yacht, Presidential Jets, the furnishing of already lavishly furnished presidential quarters and offices, fleets of luxury SUVs etc.”
Obi said these items catered for without meeting the needs of the people showed that the government is completely uncaring to the emotions of the people.
“This portrays a Government that is totally uncaring and insensitive to the suffering of the majority, and indifferent to the mood of the nation,” he added.
