The Labour Party Presidential Candidate in the last 2023 general election, Peter Obi has expressed dismay and indignation at the reported report emanating from the social media over an alleged approval by President Bola Tinubu, through his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, to the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation to spend an outrageous N3 billion to verify national register of the poor.
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.