By Elizabeth Godwin
Former presidential candidate and Labour Party leader, Peter Obi, has condemned the 2025 national budget following a report by civic tech group BudgIT, which uncovered over ₦7 trillion in questionable project insertions.
In a statement on Tuesday, Obi described the revelation as further proof that Nigeria is a “relentless scene of corruption,” warning that without urgent reforms, the country will continue to deteriorate.
BudgIT flagged over 11,000 inserted projects worth ₦6.93 trillion. Obi believes the real figure is higher and criticized lawmakers for inflating the budget while underfunding vital sectors. He noted that the inserted sum exceeds the combined budgets of education (₦3.52 trillion), health (₦2.48 trillion), humanitarian affairs (₦260 billion), and agriculture (₦636.08 billion) – totaling ₦6.896 trillion.
Obi also pointed out that the padded amount surpasses the ₦6.1 trillion allocated to national security, despite ongoing threats from terrorism and widespread insecurity.
He blamed entrenched corruption for Nigeria’s failing healthcare, widespread hunger, underfunded agriculture, weak security, and lack of support for MSMEs.
“Our leaders’ impunity is why nearly 20 million children are out of school,” he said. “We must confront this mismanagement head-on.”
Reaffirming his commitment to a better Nigeria, Obi urged transparent, strategic investment in key sectors and ended on a hopeful note:
“A new Nigeria is POssible.”
