Labour Party’s presidential flagbearer in the 2023 general election, Peter Obi, has once again raised alarm over Nigeria’s deep-rooted corruption, following revelations by BudgiT about a questionable ₦7 trillion insertionin the 2025 national budget.
Obi, in a strongly worded statement posted on his official X handle, described the discovery as further proof that the Nigerian state has descended into what he calls a “crime scene” of fiscal recklessness.
“The exposure by BudgiT reaffirms my long-held position: Nigeria is bleeding from unchecked corruption,” Obi said. “This ₦7 trillion insertion, likely a fraction of broader systemic fraud, is a tragic misallocation of public funds that could be used to rescue millions from poverty.”
He lamented that this controversial amount surpasses the entire combined allocations for key development ministries—Education, Health, Humanitarian Affairs, and Agriculture—which together received ₦6.89 trillionin the 2025 budget.
Obi gave a breakdown: Education was allocated ₦3.52 trillion, Health ₦2.48 trillion, Humanitarian Affairs ₦260 billion, and Agriculture ₦636 billion. “Even at that, these figures are inflated and still fall short of the ₦7 trillion in dubious insertions. Worse still, that amount even exceeds the ₦6.1 trillion designated for national security in a country facing a terrorism crisis.”
Obi criticized Nigeria’s ruling elite for impunity and disregard for the plight of its citizens. He linked the budget anomalies to the country’s deteriorating education sector, with 20 million out-of-school children, and its collapsing primary healthcare system that has led to rampant malnutrition and hunger.
“How do we expect to grow MSMEs, secure lives, or build human capital when corruption continues to dominate fiscal decisions?” he questioned.
Calling for an urgent clampdown on graft and mismanagement, Obi urged for a transparent redirection of national resources toward impactful sectors.
“We must aggressively combat corruption, restructure our budgetary priorities, and invest in sectors that guarantee a secure and productive future,” he said. “A new Nigeria is POssible.”
