Vice President Kashim Shettima has defended the N15 Billion allocated for the renovation of his official residence.
Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi had raised concerns about the government’s decision to allocate substantial funds for renovating buildings while only setting aside a small N5 billion budget for student loans in the country.
In a statement by his Spokesperson, Stanley Nkwocha, Shettima clarified that the project was initiated during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
He emphasized that the project, previously abandoned, was renewed by the current FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.
Nkwocha refuted Obi’s comparison between renovation expenses and student loans, stating the administration’s commitment to completing long-abandoned public projects across the nation.
He also disputed Obi’s comparison between the allocated budget for the Vice President’s residence and salaries paid to university professors, asserting the administration’s focus on educators’ welfare and educational infrastructure.
Nkwocha accused Obi of post-election trauma and divisive rhetoric, urging him and others in opposition to accept defeat gracefully and prioritize Nigeria’s interests.
“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”, part of the statement read.
