The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi has said that the high cost of governance and the squandering of public resources is “criminal and unacceptable”.
Obi, whilst speaking in an interview on News Central Television, said Nigeria’s resources have not been suitably managed by government.
“We have today overtaken India in infant mortality. The capital budget of our primary healthcare for the whole nation is about N59 billion. The cost of our presidential jet is over $100 million. It is about N160 billion. That is three times our primary healthcare cost,” he said.
The former governor accused the President Bola Tinubu administration of obscurity in the management of public funds.
“We now live in an era where nobody knows what is happening,” he said.
Obi also said that the country needs a parliamentary system of government, which he thinks it’s more accountable to the people than the presidential system.
“That is why I keep saying we must go back to the parliamentary system of governance. Even if we must keep the presidential system, there must be a bit of tweak to the parliamentary system where all these expenditures will be properly explained,” he said.
“Because the waste is incredible. What we are going through now is never imagined.”
The politician also said frugality in the management of Nigeria’s resources is not just a constitutional failure but a leadership problem.
“It is a leadership problem. It is getting leaders who are conscious of the fact that our resources have to be prioritised in key development areas,” he said.
“Yes, we need to tweak the constitution but today what you need is competent leaders who have compassion and are dedicated to prioritising the resources of the government to key development areas which are health, education, pulling people out of poverty, securing the country, and making sure things work.
“The cost of governance and the waste today is criminal and unacceptable.”