The N15 billion budgets for the Vice-President’s house has drawn criticism from Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential contender for the February 2023 election.
The Federal Capital Territory’s Minister, Nysom Wike, revealed that the FCT plans to use the funds for a “befitting residence” for Kashim Shettima, the vice president of Nigeria.
With so many significant issues confronting our country, Obi attacked the idea in a series of tweets on his X handle on Monday, calling it “shocking and disheartening.”
“Just recently in the Supplementary Budget, the sum of N2.5 billion was included for the renovation of the Vice President’s residence in Abuja, which means that he already has a residence.
“Again, during the budget presentation, I heard the sum of N3 billion was allocated for the renovation of the Vice President’s residence in Lagos.”
The former Anambra Governor further decried the poverty rate, collapsed health facilities and skyrocketed unemployment rate in the country.
“If we total all these sums, we would have budgeted the sum of N20.5 billion for the housing of the Vice President at this critical time when we are not just the world’s poverty capital, but more people are falling into poverty, with so many Nigerians not knowing where their next meal will come from. Our health facilities have collapsed, and unemployment is skyrocketing.”
On Sunday, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project urged the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, to use his leadership position “to promptly reject the plan by the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, to spend N15 billion for the construction of a ‘befitting residence’ for the Vice President, Mr Kashim Shettima.”
SERAP urged Akpabio to “assert Senate’s authority and constitutional oversight roles to reject the N2.8 billion on publicity for the FCTA and other proposed wasteful and unnecessary spending that may be contained in the 2023 supplementary budget and the 2024 budget proposed by President Bola Tinubu.”
