In the aftermath of the February 25 presidential election, Peter Obi, the candidate representing the Labour Party, issued a challenge to the Federal Government, spearheaded by President Bola Tinubu.
The challenge pertains to the disclosure of the nation’s incurred deficit during the tenure of the Bola Tinubu-led administration.
Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser, had earlier expressed lament on Monday, stating that the current administration inherited a financially depleted country from the former President Muhammadu Buhari-led government.
In response to these claims, Peter Obi took to Twitter on Thursday to advocate for greater transparency and accountability within the government.
He specifically urged the Federal Government to unveil the deficit inherited from the previous All Progressives Congress (APC) administration, emphasizing that such a revelation would underscore the government’s commitment to transparency.
In his tweets, Obi critiqued the Buhari government for failing to disclose the deficit when similar claims were made in 2015 against the preceding Goodluck Jonathan-led government.
He stressed the fundamental importance of responsible governance, citing transparency and strict accountability as key elements. According to Obi, “One major characteristic of responsible governance is transparency and strict accountability.
This demands that the government disclose exactly the degree of deficit they inherited. What is inherited should be disclosed to enable the public to know where we are and where we are headed.”
Furthermore, Obi highlighted the concerning trajectory of Nigeria’s development indices, pointing out that despite claims of inheriting a bankrupt nation, the APC government failed to improve on key indicators such as education, health, poverty eradication, and security.
He remarked, “Rather, they took our debt profile from N12.6 trillion in 2015 to N87 trillion in 2023 when they left office without improving on any indices of development.”
