Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr Peter Obi, has faulted the jump in the size of the 2025 budget to N54.2trillion from the initial estimates of N49.7tn, which President Bola Tinubu laid before the National Assembly on December 18.

Obi questioned why the details of the additional injection of funds were not explained to Nigerians by the government just like it did by explaining the source of the increased revenue.

?Yesterday, I read about the increase in the Budget of Restoration to N54 trillion due to increased revenue.

?While the sources of this revenue were detailed, there is no corresponding breakdown of expenditures to justify the increase.

?For transparency and accountability sake, Nigerians need to know how the resources generated from them are being allocated to ensure that they are judiciously spent on the country?s development and the well-being of the people?, he wrote on his X handle on Friday morning.

The former governor of Anambra State, who called on the National Assembly to scrutinise the execution of the 2024 budget already being implemented, suggested that government spending should be deployed to ?critical areas of development; education, healthcare, security, and poverty alleviation.?

He added, ?Furthermore, Nigerians are still waiting for a detailed account of the execution and expenditures of the Renewed Hope budget passed in December 2023 to ensure that it has been properly utilised for the country?s future development and the well-being of its citizens.

?I call on the National Assembly to seize this opportunity to obtain and make public the full details of the 2024 budget of the Renewed Hope budget.

?Transparency in this regard is crucial for ensuring accountability, learning from past budgets, and making informed decisions for the nation?s progress.

?As we work towards passing the Budget of Restoration for 2025, let us uphold openness, accountability, and the welfare of the Nigerian people. We owe it to ourselves, our children, and the future of our great nation,? Obi said. (Nigerian Tribune)

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