Former presidential candidate and Labour Party leader, Peter Obi, has raised alarm over what he describes as the criminal state of Nigeria, following revelations by BudgIT that over ₦7 trillion worth of suspicious projects were inserted into the 2025 national budget.
In a strongly worded statement shared on his X handle on Tuesday, Obi decried the scale of entrenched corruption in Nigeria, insisting that the country “must cease to function as a crime scene” if it hopes to see meaningful progress.
“Nigeria remains a relentless scene of corruption. I have consistently maintained that this country cannot move forward unless we urgently and aggressively combat misappropriation, corruption, and fiscal recklessness,” Obi said.
He pointed to the ₦7 trillion in questionable budget insertions as symptomatic of systemic rot, noting that the amount exceeds the combined allocations for four critical ministries: Education, Health, Humanitarian Affairs, and Agriculture.
“To put this in context,” Obi explained, “the Ministry of Education received ₦3.52 trillion, Health got ₦2.48 trillion, Humanitarian Affairs ₦260 billion, and Agriculture ₦636.08 billion—altogether ₦6.896 trillion. Yet, more money was dubiously inserted into the budget than was given to these vital sectors.”
Obi argued that the fraudulent insertions not only undermine national development but also reflect a deliberate sabotage of efforts to address Nigeria’s most urgent crises, from education and healthcare to food security and terrorism.
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“The ₦7 trillion fraud is even greater than the ₦6.1 trillion allocated to national security—this, in a country battling terrorism on all fronts,” he noted.
The former Anambra governor blamed widespread corruption for Nigeria’s nearly 20 million out-of-school children, malnourished population, and underfunded agricultural and security sectors.
“Until we end this brazen impunity, we will continue to starve the future while feeding corruption,” Obi warned, reiterating his call for transparency, fiscal discipline, and strategic investment in critical sectors.
He concluded with a message of hope: “A new Nigeria is POssible.”