- The spokesman defended the decision to resume the project, underscoring the administration’s commitment to finishing long-abandoned public projects across the country
Vice President Kashim Shettima has justified the allocation of N15 billion for the renovation of his residences in Lagos and Abuja.
In a statement on Tuesday, the vice president responded to criticisms from Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, over the amount earmarked for the project amid widespread economic hardship in the country.
Obi had questioned the rationality behind the government planned to spend a lot on renovating the edifices while budgeting a paltry N5 billion for student loans in the country.
However, in the Tuesday statement, Stanley Nkwocha, the spokesman for Vice President, repudiated what he termed as a series of misguided attacks and falsehoods directed at the administration led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
On the huge amount allocated for the VP residences, 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, underscoring the administration’s commitment to finishing long-abandoned public projects across the country, a stance he asserted 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.
Part of the statement read:
”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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