The Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, had on Monday said that the President had approved the release of N3 billion for the verification of the National Social Register under former President Muhammadu Buhari administration.
The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, has berated the President Bola Tinubu-led Nigerian government for approving N3 billion for verification of the national register of poor Nigerians.
The Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, had on Monday said that the President had approved the release of N3 billion for the verification of the National Social Register under former President Muhammadu Buhari administration.
SaharaReporters on Monday reported how a memo from President Tinubu’s Chief of the Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, revealed that the President gave approval to the now suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, for the release of N3 billion to verify the National Social Register under Buhari.
The social register had been created for cash transfers and other social investment programmes.
Several firms had been awarded contracts from the N3 billion given out to the suspended minister – a release which has now generated controversies and is a subject of probe by presidential investigators and anti-graft agencies.
In his reaction, Obi in a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday said that President Tinubu should rather direct the N3billion to be used for actual poverty alleviation for millions of Nigerians living in multidimensional poverty in the country.
Obi also pointed out that the N3 billion approved for only verification of the national register of poor Nigerians was much higher than the total budget approved by the government for the country’s National Library.
According to the former governor of Anambra State, the inability of Nigerian leaders to prioritise expenditure and focus on the critical areas of national development and national security, are the challenges weighing down on Nigeria today.
He wrote, “It is very surprising to hear that the sum of N3 billion was approved for verification of the national register of the poor. This can only happen in Nigeria. I have maintained that we must decisively deal with the issue of cost of governance in Nigeria now as a matter of urgency.
“Sadly, this very huge amount approved just for verification of the national register of the poor is more than three times the amount of N908,699,435 which was budgeted for our National Library.
“This is happening at a time in our nation when we need all the manpower training to keep our work force productive. Our national library, a very critical infrastructure in our nation, seemingly abandoned, lacks books and educational materials.
“The same amount would have made a significant impact, if prudently and transparently managed.
“Moreso, with more than half of our population battling with absolute and multidimensional poverty, one wonders why such a huge sum was approved for just verification of national register of the poor, when the same amount could have been directed towards actual poverty alleviation.
“This approval raises a fundamental question: how come the data for poverty alleviation has not been verified on a regular basis?
“The inability of we the leaders to prioritise our expenditure and focus on the critical areas of national development, and national security, are the challenges weighing down on our nation today.
“Unless we begin to sacrifice our personal comfort for the good of society, and begin to care more for the people, especially the less privileged ones, our nation will continue to grapple with all forms of societal ills caused by high level of poverty.”
