Peter Obi
Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, has expressed shock and indignation at the reported approval of N3b for the verification of the national register of the poor in the country.
This comes after one of President Bola Tinubu's presidential aides, Bayo Onanuga, confirmed the approval.
Obi, who is known for his strong stance on poverty alleviation, has questioned the rationale behind allocating such a large sum for the verification process when the same amount could have been directed towards actual poverty alleviation.
He has also raised concerns about the potential misuse of funds, given the high level of poverty in the country, with over 100 million Nigerians reportedly living in poverty.
The former presidential candidate has called on government officials to reconsider their priorities and focus on addressing the root causes of poverty rather than spending resources on verification processes. His comments come as the country grapples with insecurity and economic challenges, with many citizens struggling to make ends meet.
The LP standard bearer writing in his X handle platform, said such a quantum of waste can only happen in Nigeria.
"It is very surprising to hear that the sum of N3 billion was approved for verification by the National Register of the Poor. This can only happen in Nigeria.
"I have maintained that we must decisively deal with the issue of cost of governance in Nigeria now as a matter of urgency.
"Sadly, this very huge amount approved just for verification of the 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 workforce 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 multi-dimensional poverty, one wonders why such a huge sum was approved for just verification of the national register of the poor when the same amount could have been directed towards actual poverty alleviation.
"This approval raises a fundamental question: how come the data for poverty alleviation has not been verified regularly?
"The inability of we the leaders to prioritize 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 levels of poverty,” Obi concluded.
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