Our reporter/ The federal government’s plan to spend N142 billion on bus terminals is further proof of “misplaced priorities,” Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the last general election has said.
The federal executive council (FEC) recently approved N142.02 billion for the construction of ultra-modern bus terminals across the six geopolitical zones.
Sa’idu Alkali, minister of transportation, described the project as the “first direct federal government investment” aimed at transport infrastructure outside of road construction.
But in a post on X [formerly Twitter] on Friday, Obi faulted the decision, noting that it reflects “poor judgment and lack of leadership focus.”
The Labour Party chieftain compared the allocation to the health sector, noting that the combined budget of all federal teaching hospitals and psychiatric centres in the country is less than N100 billion in the 2024 budget.
“The difference between the success and failure of development in any nation is how you prioritise your scarce resources,” the post reads.
“The recent announcement that a sum of ₦142 billion has been approved by the federal government for the construction of one bus terminal in each of our six geopolitical zones further affirms the lack of competence, lack of focus, and poor leadership.
“In the 2024 budget, which is the operational budget today, the entire budget of all the teaching hospitals across all the federal universities in the country, as well as the federal psychiatric centres, is under ₦100 billion, yet the government has approved ₦142 billion for bus terminals.
“This is disturbing, considering that health is one of the most critical areas of development, which is deteriorating and remains grossly underfunded.
“WHO recently reported that over 20 million Nigerians are living with mental health issues.”
The former Anambra State Governor also described the move as a “tragic irony” that highlights the government’s failure to prioritise essential services.
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