Obi shocked at N3b, earmarked for verification of the poor

..frowns at rising insecurity, reminds Shettima of campaign promises

By Tom Okpe

The Labour Party, (LP) Presidential Candidate in the last general election in the country, Dr Peter Obi has expressed shock and indignation at the reported approval of N3b for the verification of the National Register of the poor in the country.

Writing in his X handle Platform on Thursday, the LP standard bearer said such 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 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,” he queried.

“The inability of we, 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, our nation will continue to grapple with all forms of societal ills, caused by high levels of poverty,” he added.

Also, the former Governor of Anambra State, challenged the Federal Government to urgently tackle the rising insecurity in the country, especially in the nation’s capital.

Obi particularly, reminds Vice President, Kashim Shettima of his vocal pledge in August 2022 at the NBA conference in Lagos for Presidential candidates when he represented his boss that if they are elected, he will tackle security frontally and lead the troops to the bandits personally while the President tackles the Economy where he is a wizard.

The LP leader wondered what happened that after seven months in the saddle, the security situation is worsening and the VP is not insight.

Also, writing in his X handle platform, Obi said: “As terrorists attacks, banditry, kidnappings, and violence continue to rage through the country, it is more concerning now with the surge of violence spreading through the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT) Abuja.

“The recent killings of two abducted young girls in Abuja makes it more depressing and urgent.

“It is now time for we, leaders, to take all forms of serious measures to tackle the situation. It is unfortunate that President Muhammadu Buhari, in 2015, campaigned and won the elections on three items; Security, Economy, and Corruption (SEC). After his eight years in office, the situation has worsened in all three areas.

“The present administration, on assuming office, promised to deal decisively with the same situation, Security, Economy and Corruption.

“Today, however, the situation is getting even worse than ever.

“At the Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association held in Lagos in August 2022, the then Vice Presidential Candidate, Senator Shettima, categorically stated that if APC is elected, he as Vice President would be in charge, while the President as in expert in the economy would handle the economy.

“Nigerians therefore, implore them to fulfill their campaign promises.

“Even if they do not achieve 100% results, we want to see 100% effort.

“It is now time to stop all forms of foreign trips from people in government, until we deal with the ugly situation facing us at home. No foreign investor or partner would invest in Nigeria, with the situation we now find ourselves.

“We must make sincere efforts to end the spread of violence and insecurity in our nation, into any meaningful progress,” Obi said.