The Presidency has slammed the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, over his statement on the budgetary provision of N15.5 billion for the completion of the Vice President’s residence.
Recall that N15.5 billion was earmarked in the 2024 budget proposal for the renovation of the Vice President’s official residence.
However, Obi condemned and described the development as reckless and insensitive.
Reacting to the former Anambra Governor’s statement, the presidency insisted that he was attempting to whip up public sentiments against the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration.
Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity in the Office of the Vice President, stated this via a statement on Tuesday.
According to him, the project did not originate from Tinubu’s administration, adding that it was initiated by the Goodluck Jonathan administration.
“Giving the reactions and invocations generated by Mr. Obi’s comments, however, it is necessary, for the sake of history, to clarify that the proposed plan for the construction of the Vice President’s official residence, for which a budgetary allocation was made in the 2024 budget by the FCT Administration, was awarded by the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan. It was not originated by the present administration. This, Mr. Obi knows but chose to play dumb, all in a bid to inflame a targeted group of Nigerians and, as usual, score cheap political goals, accolades and praises.
“The project, which was reinitiated in 2010 and was funded by the Jonathan administration, was abandoned. Appalled by the sorry state of the uncompleted building that has now been overtaken by weeds and reptiles over a decade after construction started about 13 years ago, the current FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, felt it would be a waste to allow such a project started with public funds to continue to lie fallow. Thus, in his wisdom and without the prompting of the Vice President, decided to resuscitate the building.
“We invite more cerebral Nigerians to crosscheck properly, which should be considered a waste between Obi’s tantrums because the project has attracted government’s attention, given the decision by the current administration to complete vital abandoned projects. What is more wasteful and reckless than abandoning an edifice to rot and depreciate, despite the amount that has been sunk into it over the years?” Nwokocha queried.
