Buhari’s 2023 budget, tragic, hopeless, says Ezekwesili

Former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, has described as tragic and hopeless the recently signed budget for 2023 fiscal year.

President Muhammadu Buhari had on Tuesday signed a budget of N21.8 trillion for 2023 fiscal year as passed by the National Assembly.

Buhari while speaking in Abuja said the signing of the budget was to encourage speedy implementation as his administration draws to an end.

Ezekwesili, who commented on the budget via her Twitter handle on Wednesday, described it as tragically hopeless.

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The ex-minister lamented the massive gap between the proposed revenues and expenditure as captured in the document amid the country’s humongous debt profile.

She also charged Nigerians to get their PVCs and vote rightly in the forthcoming election.

She wrote: “This is the summary of the HOPELESS Budget @MBuhari signed into Law yesterday: Total Expenditure is N21.83 Trillion. Total Revenue N9.73 Trillion! The Budget has a Deficit larger than Revenue by almost N12.00 Trillion! Tragic. You all better get your PVCs ready.

“I foresaw this historical mess-up of our Public Finance by the @NigeriaGov of @NGRPresident @MBuhari and persistently spoke up. At all times, the Government and its praise singers replied to my data-based criticisms with attacks. Now a full blown Debt Crisis on our hands. Sad.

“Recall that one of cardinal plans of the Presidential Candidate of the @OfficialAPCNg is “to delink Expenditure from Revenue” and some of you were like, better known that from the current state of our Public Finance, APC @NigeriaGov has already done so. Get and use your PVCs.”