The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, has condemned the Federal Government’s (FG) recent approval of N142 billion for the construction of bus terminals, calling it a “misplaced priority.”
The Port City News learnt that Sa’idu Alkali, minister of transportation announced that the federal executive council (FEC) approved N142.02 billion for the construction of ultra-modern bus terminals in Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
Alkali after the council meeting, chaired by President Bola Tinubu in Abuja said the contract was awarded to Messrs Planet Project Limited to construct terminals in Abeokuta (south-west), Gombe (north-east), Kano (north-west), Lokoja (north-central), Onitsha (south-east), and Ewu, Edo state (south-south).
Reacting to the announcement in a statement posted on his X page on Friday, the former governor of Anambra State argued that the decision demonstrates a “lack of competence, lack of focus, and poor leadership” in the allocation of Nigeria’s limited resources.
The 64-year-old highlighted a striking disparity between the funding for the bus terminals and the budget for the nation’s healthcare sector.
Also see: Wike: I’ll Support Anyone Who Backs Tinubu in 2027
According to Obi, the entire 2024 budget for all federal university teaching hospitals and psychiatric centres across the country is less than N100 billion.
He contrasted this with the N142 billion approved for a single bus terminal in each of the six geopolitical zones. He described the situation as “disturbing,” noting that healthcare is a critical and underfunded area of development.
Obi further referenced a report by the World Health Organisation (WHO), which states that over 20 million Nigerians are living with mental health issues, underscoring the urgent need for investment in the sector.
Obi framed the bus terminal project as a “tragic irony” and an example of a failure in governance.
