Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 election Peter Obi has criticised the approval of N3 billion for the verification of the national register of the poor, stressing that the amount would have made a significant impact in the education sector if prudently and transparently managed.
Obi, on his X handle, lamented that the money approved to verify the register for the poor is more than three times the amount of N908,699,435 which was budgeted for the National Library.
The former presidential candidate, who expressed surprise that such a huge sum was approved for verification of the national register of the poor, said such could only happen in Nigeria.
He reiterated the need to decisively deal with the issue of cost of governance in Nigeria now as a matter of urgency.
Obi said, “Sadly, this very huge amount approved just for verification of national register of the poor is more than three times the amount of N908,699,435 which was budgeted for our National Library.
“This is happening at a time in our nation when we need all the manpower training to keep our work force productive. Our national library, a very critical infrastructure in our nation, seemingly abandoned, lacks books and educational materials.
“The same amount would have made a significant impact, if prudently and transparently managed. Moreso, with more than half of our population battling with absolute and multidimensional poverty, one wonders why such a huge sum was approved for just verification of national register of the poor, when the same amount could have been directed towards actual poverty alleviation.“
He said the approval raised a fundamental question on why the data for poverty alleviation has not been verified on a regular basis.
He added, “The inability of we the leaders to prioritise our expenditure and focus on the critical areas of national development, and national security, are the challenges weighing down on our nation today.
“Unless we begin to sacrifice our personal comfort for the good of society, and begin to care more for the people, especially the less privileged ones, our nation will continue to grapple with all forms of societal ills caused by high level of poverty. -PO,” he said.
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