Vice President Kashim Shettima has defended FCT Minister Nyesom Wike’s plan to use N15bn for his official residence as he slammed Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 elections for criticising the move
Recall that Obi had questioned
why the government planned to spend a lot on renovating the edifices while
budgeting a paltry N5 billion for student loans in the country.
However, Stanley Nkwocha, the
spokesman for Vice President Shettima in a statement issued responding to Obi’s
comments said he is suffering from post-election trauma.
In the statement denouncing
what he termed as a series of misguided attacks and falsehoods directed at the
administration led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, he challenged the criticisms
levelled by Obi, citing the allocation of funds for the renovation of the Vice
President’s official residence by the Federal Capital Territory Administration
(FCTA).
He clarified that the project
was initiated and funded during the administration of former President Goodluck
Jonathan and was later renewed by the current FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, due to
its long-standing abandonment.
The spokesman defended the
decision to resume the project, emphasizing the administration’s commitment to
completing long-abandoned public projects across the nation, a stance he
suggested was in contrast to Obi’s past directives as governor of Anambra
State.
Nkwocha also disputed Obi’s
comparison between the allocated budget for the Vice President’s residence and
salaries paid to university professors, asserting that the administration
prioritizes the welfare of educators and educational infrastructure despite
challenging economic conditions.
Nkwocha further accused Obi of post-election trauma and divisive rhetoric, urging him and others in opposition to accept defeat gracefully and prioritize Nigeria’s interests.
The statement partly reads;
”There is no other context to
situate Obi’s sermon about waste other than the fact that he has refused to
swallow the bitter pills of reality.
”It is pitiful that since he
was mercilessly defeated by President Tinubu, he and his army of social media
cohorts have continued to brazenly unleash a campaign of calumny against the
President and now, his administration.
”But despite Obi’s divisive
rhetoric, Nigerians have since put a final seal on religious and ethnic
politicking so that the country can move forward against the wish of certain
persons in the mould of Obi, who have continued to fan the embers of division
and falsehood just to create tension and spurn vexatious narratives in the
polity.
”Still labouring under
post-election trauma, the Labour Party candidate and his ilk are bent on
pulling down the Tinubu administration at all cost.
”We advise him and his fellow
travellers in the opposition to accept defeat honourably, and put the interest
of Nigeria and Nigerians first as patriotic citizens they claim to be.”
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