Nigerians Need More Food – Atiku Camp Knocks Tinubu Over $14bn UN Budget

The media adviser to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has criticised President Bola Tinubu over the presentation of the proposed $14 billion United Nations (UN) budget to him.

Paul Ibe said Nigerians were more concerned about the rising cost of food, fuel and transportation than the presidential reception of the seven-volume budget document.

He contended that the development would mean little to citizens struggling with economic hardship.

In a statement issued on Monday via his social media accounts, Ibe congratulated Tinubu on what he described sarcastically as a historic achievement under the administration’s Renewed Hope agenda.

He questioned how the document would address the economic difficulties facing ordinary Nigerians, particularly the high prices of essential food items and the declining purchasing power of households.

“Which volume will reduce the price of bread, rice, beans, yam, tomatoes and pepper?” he asked.

Ibe also questioned whether the document would help reduce the prices of petrol and diesel, lower transport fares and improve the financial circumstances of Nigerians.

He said the government should prioritise addressing the economic challenges confronting citizens rather than celebrating the receipt of an international budget document.

The ADC aide listed seven areas of economic hardship, including expensive food items, rising fuel prices, costly transportation, declining purchasing power and dwindling household finances.

“Mr President, Nigerians cannot eat diplomatic ceremonies, cook presidential photographs or fuel their vehicles with international documents!” he said.

Ibe added that Nigerians elected Tinubu to manage the country’s economy rather than celebrate receiving the UN budget.

The criticism followed the presentation of the proposed UN budget to Tinubu by Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the organisation, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, on Sunday.

Politics Nigeria learnt that the presentation took place at the president’s official residence in the State House, Abuja.

Ibrahim, who chairs the UN General Assembly’s Fifth Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Matters, presented the seven-volume document after the UN Secretary-General submitted it to the committee the previous week.

The envoy described the event as historic, noting that it was the first time in 66 years that Nigeria had chaired the committee responsible for the organisation’s budget and administrative matters.

He said Tinubu was the first Nigerian president in that period to receive the proposed UN budget through the country’s chairmanship of the committee.

According to Ibrahim, the proposed regular budget is approximately $3.4 billion, while the peacekeeping budget stands at about $8.5 billion. Together, the figures amount to roughly $14 billion, which he estimated at between N36 trillion and N40 trillion.

However, Ibrahim clarified that the document was still a proposal and would undergo detailed negotiations among member-states before final approval and implementation.

He explained that the figures could be adjusted during the negotiations before the final budget was approved for spending.

The Nigerian envoy declined to disclose the specific benefits Nigeria expected to derive from the budget, saying discussions with his colleagues were still ongoing.

“As for Nigeria, I do not want to discuss what Nigeria will get from the budget. That would be going too far, because my colleagues and I are still discussing it,” he said.

Ibrahim also highlighted the scale of the organisation’s expenditure, citing the construction of a $260 million conference centre in Kenya as an example of its ongoing activities.