Former Anambra State Governor and presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has challenged President Bola Tinubu to give Nigerians a detailed account of how his administration has utilised the resources generated through fuel subsidy removal, foreign borrowings and increased government revenues.
Obi said Nigerians deserved to know the impact of the more than ₦15.8 trillion saved from subsidy removal, over $100 billion borrowed by the Federal Government and additional revenues accruing from taxation and other sources since Tinubu assumed office.
The NDC presidential candidate made the demand in a statement titled, 'Good Day, Mr President: Nigerians Deserve Accountability', on Saturday, following Tinubu's visit to Akwa Ibom State, where the President spent a night outside Lagos and Abuja.
Commending the President for visiting another state, Obi expressed hope that the trip would encourage him to visit the remaining 33 states of the federation, engage directly with citizens and explain what his administration had achieved with public resources.
He said such engagements should provide opportunities for the President to account for the money available to his government and demonstrate how it had translated into improved living conditions for Nigerians.
Obi specifically asked the President to disclose the number of Nigerians lifted out of poverty under his administration, the number of out-of-school children returned to classrooms and the number of functional primary healthcare centres established.
He also demanded explanations on improvements in electricity supply and the government's efforts to address insecurity across the country.
The former governor recalled Tinubu's earlier promise that Nigerians should not vote for him if he failed to fix the country's electricity challenges, insisting that citizens deserved to know how far the administration had gone in fulfilling that commitment.
On security, Obi expressed concern that Nigeria remained among the most terrorised countries in the world, questioning the effectiveness of the government's interventions.
"Nigerians deserve to know how many that were pulled out of poverty within this period, how many out-of-school children were returned to school, and how many functional primary healthcare centres you have built," he said.
"They also deserve to know how much electricity supply has improved, especially given your promise that if you do not fix power, Nigerians should not vote for you."
Obi further questioned the administration's handling of the country's finances, particularly against the backdrop of increased government earnings and borrowing.
He noted that the Federal Government had celebrated surpassing its revenue target last year, arguing that the additional resources should be reflected in measurable improvements in the welfare of citizens.
"Mr President, Nigerians deserve answers. They deserve to know what has been done with the resources entrusted to your government," he said.
The NDC presidential candidate maintained that accountability, transparency and demonstrable results should form the foundation of governance, rather than mere claims of increased revenue or policy achievements.
He said the Nigeria he envisaged would be built around the effective utilisation of public resources to improve the quality of life of ordinary citizens.
"The New Nigeria we want to build will be based on accountability, transparency, and the physical, measurable impact of our public resources on the lives of citizens," Obi stated.
He ended the message by reiterating his political conviction that "a new Nigeria is possible."
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