Peter Obi slams ₦7 trillion budget scandal, labels Nigeria a haven for corruption

DDM News

Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, has once again condemned the deepening culture of corruption in Nigeria, warning that the country cannot achieve meaningful progress unless urgent reforms are made.

In a statement released via his official X (formerly Twitter) handle, Obi lamented that Nigeria continues to operate like a crime scene, citing the most recent revelations from BudgIT, a civic-tech organization focused on transparency in public finance.

Diaspora Digital Media (DDM) reports that the findings by BudgIT uncovered a staggering ₦7 trillion in questionable projects allegedly inserted into the 2025 national budget.

Peter Obi emphasized that this massive figure is likely only a fraction of what is being systematically misappropriated within Nigeria’s budgetary framework.

“The entrenched corruption, persistent and deeply rooted, must be nipped in the bud if there is to be any meaningful turnaround,” Obi declared.

He insisted that the ₦7 trillion dubiously included in the budget is even more than the combined allocations to four of Nigeria’s most critical ministries, Education, Health, Agriculture, and Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.

According to the 2025 budget breakdown:

• The Ministry of Education was allocated ₦3.52 trillion.
• The Ministry of Health received ₦2.48 trillion.
• The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation was assigned ₦260 billion.
• The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security got ₦636.08 billion.

These four ministries collectively received ₦6.896 trillion, still less than the ₦7 trillion Obi claims was fraudulently inserted into the budget.

The figure is also higher than the ₦6.1 trillion allocated to national security in a country grappling with insurgency, banditry, and terrorism.

Obi described this financial mismanagement as an act of “brazen impunity” by Nigerian leaders, accusing them of sabotaging the country’s chances at real development.

He noted that widespread corruption has weakened Nigeria’s ability to fund education, leading to nearly 20 million children being out of school.

Similarly, the health sector has deteriorated, leaving millions of children malnourished due to poor investment in primary healthcare.

Despite rampant hunger, Obi added, agricultural development remains grossly underfunded, while Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) that should drive economic growth continue to suffer due to mismanagement and poor accountability.

He stressed that Nigeria’s persistent budgetary corruption directly affects the government’s ability to invest in human capital and social infrastructure.

Obi concluded with a rallying call for urgent action to combat corruption, restore transparency, and reinvest national resources into critical sectors such as health, education, and poverty alleviation.

He reiterated his belief in a better future for the country, ending his statement with his signature phrase: “A new Nigeria is POssible.”

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