The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, has described the Federal Government’s plan to spend ₦142 billion on bus terminals “misplaced priorities”, saying the difference between the success and failure of development in any nation is how scarce resources are prioritized
In a post on X, Obi faulted the decision, saying that it reflected “poor judgment and lack of leadership focus.”
“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,” he stated.
Obi 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 ₦100 billion in the 2024 budget.
“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 LP chieftain also described the move as a “tragic irony” that highlighted the government’s failure to prioritise essential services.
On August 14, the federal executive council (FEC) approved ₦142.02 billion for the construction of ultra-modern bus terminals across the six geopolitical zones.
The Minister of Transportation, Sa’idu Alkali, described the project as the “first direct Federal Government investment” aimed at transport infrastructure outside of road construction.
