Former presidential candidate Peter Obi has condemned the alleged ₦7 trillion budget scam embedded in Nigeria’s 2025 national budget, describing it as proof that the country is being run like a crime scene. The scandal emerged following a report revealing over 11,000 questionable projects worth ₦6.93 trillion inserted into the budget by members of the National Assembly. This practice was described as a deeply entrenched culture of exploitation and abuse, allegedly led by the leadership of the legislature, including Senate President Godswill Akpabio and House Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, both from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
In a statement, Obi expressed grave concern over the findings, noting that the ₦7 trillion figure likely represents only a fraction of the actual misappropriated funds. He pointed out that this amount surpasses the combined budget allocations to critical sectors such as Health, Education, Humanitarian Affairs, and Agriculture, which together received ₦6.896 trillion. Specifically, Education was allocated ₦3.52 trillion, Health ₦2.48 trillion, Humanitarian Affairs ₦260 billion, and Agriculture ₦636.08 billion. The dubious ₦7 trillion also exceeds the ₦6.1 trillion allocated to national security, a sector vital to Nigeria’s stability.
Obi linked the widespread corruption to Nigeria’s ongoing crises, including the failure of the education system with nearly 20 million out-of-school children, a poor healthcare system plagued by malnutrition, and insufficient investment in agriculture and poverty alleviation. He described the impunity of political leaders as the root cause of these systemic failures and called for urgent, aggressive action to combat corruption and fiscal recklessness. Obi urged transparent management of national resources and strategic investment in key sectors to foster genuine development and improve the welfare of Nigerians.
Reiterating his long-held view, Obi warned that Nigeria has become a “crime scene” due to entrenched corruption and fiscal mismanagement, stressing that meaningful progress is impossible unless these issues are decisively addressed. His statement reflects growing public outrage and demands for accountability following the revelations about the 2025 budget padding scandal.
