‘N6bn for national assembly car parks’ — Obi laments FG’s fiscal ‘indiscipline’

Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 elections, says the federal government should prioritise the allocation of resources to critical sectors.

In a series of posts on his X page on Monday, Obi lamented the poor state of Nigeria’s education sector, citing the low enrollment rates in secondary and tertiary institutions compared to global averages.

The former Anambra governor highlighted the disparity between the country’s spending priorities and its development needs.

He said that while the global average for secondary school enrollment is above 80 percent, Nigeria’s rate is a mere 28 percent.

“As the giant of Africa that we are, I remain concerned about our fiscal indiscipline as a nation. Imagine the situation in our education sector, where the global average of secondary school enrollment is above 80%, while in Nigeria it is 28%,” Obi wrote.

“The global average of tertiary school enrollment is above 55%, while Nigeria is less than 15%. Yet our budget for the National Assembly car parks is N6 billion. The budget for the National Assembly recreational facilities is N4 billion.

“Approved for the construction of hostels in 12 tertiary institutions is just N1 billion. It is time for us to stop this financial indiscipline and embrace financial discipline by prioritising the allocation of resources to the critical areas of human and national development.”

He emphasised the need to address the country’s educational challenges and invest in its future.