Peter Obi Raises Alarm Over ₦7 Trillion Budget Fraud, Calls Nigeria a “Crime Scene”

Labour Party presidential candidate and former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, has once again spoken out against Nigeria’s endemic corruption, condemning the country’s 2025 national budget as a symbol of unchecked fiscal recklessness.

In a strongly worded post on his official Facebook page, Obi described Nigeria as a “crime scene,” citing a recent report by civic-tech organization BudgIT, which uncovered a staggering ₦7 trillion worth of questionable and fraudulent projects embedded in the 2025 national budget.

“This entrenched corruption—persistent and deeply rooted—must be nipped in the bud if there is to be any meaningful turnaround,” Obi said.

₦7 Trillion Budget Fraud Greater Than Health, Education, and Agriculture Combined

Obi compared the ₦7 trillion in fraudulent budget insertions to the total allocations of four key ministries vital to national development:

• Ministry of Education: ₦3.52 trillion
• Ministry of Health: ₦2.48 trillion
• Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation: ₦260 billion
• Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security: ₦636.08 billion

Together, these ministries received ₦6.896 trillion—less than the alleged fraudulent budget insertions.

Obi also noted that the misappropriated ₦7 trillion exceeds the ₦6.1 trillion allocated to national security, raising serious questions about priorities in a nation battling insecurity, poverty, and an overstretched public health system.

“A Nation Starved by Corruption”

Obi linked the fiscal misconduct to Nigeria’s widespread development challenges, such as:

• Nearly 20 million out-of-school children
• Failing primary healthcare systems
• Severe malnutrition among children
• Neglect of the agricultural sector despite widespread hunger
• Insufficient support for MSMEs, crucial for job creation and economic growth

“The same corruption that has crippled healthcare and education has now invaded our national budget. This brazen impunity is the reason we can’t make meaningful progress,” Obi stated.

A Call to Action

Peter Obi emphasized the urgent need to confront corruption, misappropriation, and fiscal recklessness in Nigeria with “unwavering resolve.” He urged the government to redirect national resources toward strategic investments in health, education, agriculture, and poverty alleviation.

“We must turn this nation around,” Obi declared. “A new Nigeria is POssible.”