By TINA TIMOTHY

Labour Party (LP) Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi, has expressed grave concern over the alleged N3 trillion discrepancy between the budget approved by the Nigerian Senate and the one being implemented by the Presidency.

Obi, on his verified X handle @PeterObi, on Sunday, March 10, 2024 lamented that this amount “represents over 10% of our national budget (estimated at N29 trillion) and is more than the combined education (N1.54 trillion) and health (N1.38 trillion) official budgets,” describing it as shameful and a breach of trust.

“I find it deeply disconcerting and a matter of grave concern and even shameful to read about the alleged N3 trillion discrepancy between the budget approved by the Nigerian Senate and the one being implemented by the presidency.

“One Senator claims there is a separate budget, allegedly containing the N3 trillion, that differs from what was passed by the National Assembly. This alleged discrepancy is especially worrying because it represents over 10% of our national budget (estimated at N29 trillion) and is more than the combined education (N1.54 trillion) and health (N1.38 trillion) official budgets. This lack of transparency in managing public funds is a breach of trust between the Nigerian people and their elected leaders,” Obi wrote.

He further decried that with the current harsh economic situations being faced by Nigerians, every naira of our budget should be used to build a better nation.

He wrote: "With insecurity, hunger, poverty, inflation, and unemployment plaguing the nation, these actions are insensitive to the people’s plight. Every naira of our budget, especially in these challenging times, should be judiciously used to build a better Nigeria.”

Consequently, the former Anambra state governor called on both the National Assembly and the Presidency to render a public explanation, adding that “transparency and accountability remain the cornerstones of good democratic governance at all levels.”

“We also deserve full accountability of all our scarce resources placed in public trust. Therefore, we, the Nigerian people, demand a public explanation from both the National Assembly and the Presidency regarding the purpose and process of adding this alleged N3 trillion allocation to the officially approved national budget for 2024. Transparency and accountability remain the cornerstones of good democratic governance at all levels. This is our unwavering commitment to building a New Nigeria which we insist remains Possible,” he added.