Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi has slammed the APC-led administration over what he calls an alarming case of entrenched corruption, following revelations that ₦7 trillion worth of dubious projects were smuggled into the 2025 national budget.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, May 21, the former Anambra state governor said; “This country has become a crime scene. We cannot move forward unless we stamp out this level of brazen impunity.”
Recall that the watchdog group BudgIT recently revealed the fraudulent insertions, which exceed the entire combined budgets for four key ministries: Education (₦3.52 trillion), Health (₦2.48 trillion), Humanitarian Affairs (₦260 billion), and Agriculture (₦636.08 billion) — totaling ₦6.896 trillion.
“This is more than the ₦6.1 trillion allocated to national security. And yet Nigeria remains one of the most terrorized nations in the world.” He lamented.
Obi warned that the real scale of misappropriation likely surpasses ₦7 trillion, citing devastating impacts on education, healthcare, food security, and poverty alleviation.
He described the nearly 20 million out-of-school children, collapsing primary healthcare, rampant malnutrition, and a neglected agricultural sector as symptoms of systemic looting.
“Our children are out of school, our hospitals are underfunded, and our people are hungry. Yet, trillions are being diverted with impunity. This must stop.” He added.
While calling for urgent reform and strict accountability, Obi emphasized that national resources must be redirected to critical sectors to reverse the country’s decline.
