The Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 election, Mr Peter Obi has reacted to the use of public funds by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to finance a private trip.
Obi was also worried about the dilapidated state of National Assets in the country while wondering why public assets are overlooked by leaders.
According to the former Anambra state Governor, “Just yesterday, I saw a heart-wrenching sight of a physically challenged traveler in a wheelchair being carried up the stairs by four men at the Nnamdi Azikiwe airport, Abuja because neither the elevator nor the escalator had been functional, for the past 3 months”.
“The situation becomes more disturbing when you imagine that such is happening in our nation’s capital, where our dignitaries and foreign investors travel through constantly. This was the same Airport and the same day that our dear President flew out on a private visit”
Mr Obi stated that as the president, he is a “Public National asset” and as such “all his movements now should be public knowledge and matters of public interest. Even when he needs a private visit like a holiday, family gathering, etc, he should state so, which is graciously allowed, but private visits, like the one he has embarked on now, should be done at his expense and not at public cost. That is part of the cost-cutting measures desperately needed by the nation now. We now require savings of sorts to deal with every little issue that requires attention, like the maintenance of small public assets”.
The former Anambra state Governor who revealed this on his X-handle, called for a drastic cut in the cost of governance in order to make funds available for the maintenance of public assets.
“I must however acknowledge some efforts by the President to cut costs like his recent 60% cost on travel but that is still insignificant given the quantum of problems waiting to be tackled” Mr Obi Added.
