“Allocating N15 billion solely for the National Assembly
hospital is unacceptable, especially when it exceeds five times the budgetary
allocation to The National Hospital or the combined capital vote of our six
major teaching hospitals across the nation,” he said.
He further listed the teaching hospitals including
University College Hospital, Ibadan; University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital,
Enugu; Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria; Obafemi Awolowo
University Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife; Jos University Teaching Hospital and
University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital.
“This disparity reflects a low level of care for the rest of
society,” Obi asserted.
He also criticised the N15.3 billion allocation for the
National Assembly library project and procurement of books, including the
e-Library.
“The National Library has been under construction for the
past 20 years, and its budgetary allocation for 2024 is less than 1B Naira,
which makes the National Assembly Library budget 15 times more,” Obi wrote.
Obi further expressed concern over the allocation of N10
billion for the Senate and House of Representatives’ car parks and the National
Assembly Recreation Centre while allocating less to the Ministry of Science,
Technology, and Innovation.
He said, “Allocating N10 billion for the Senate and House of
Representatives’ car parks and the National Assembly Recreation Centre, while
allocating less to the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation, is
concerning.
“In an era where science, technology and innovation are
crucial for the nation’s future, such allocations demonstrate a lack of
foresight and basic awareness of global trends and urgent national priorities,”
he stated.
Obi, therefore called for a reassessment of priorities, a
revisiting of the budget, and the elimination of frivolous expenditures.
