2020 Budget: PDP Criticises Buhari, APC, Says Proposal Will Impoverish Nigerians and Mortgage Their Future

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has criticised the N10.7 trillion 2020 budget presented by President Muhammadu Buhari to the National Assembly, claiming the fiscal proposal would further impoverish Nigerians and mortgage the country’s future.

The opposition party also urged the National Assembly to review the proposal and redirect government spending towards programmes that would have a greater impact on ordinary Nigerians.

In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, the PDP described the budget as lacking a clear strategy for wealth creation and accused the Buhari administration of relying excessively on taxes, levies and other charges to fund government expenditure.

The party further alleged that some provisions in the appropriation bill contained questionable projections, duplication and expenditure items that lacked sufficient clarity.

According to the PDP, Nigeria’s natural and economic resources should have enabled the Federal Government to present a budget with stronger measures for job creation, economic expansion and improvement in citizens’ living standards.

The party argued that the proposed spending plan appeared to favour government bureaucracy and other interests while giving insufficient attention to projects that would directly improve the welfare of Nigerians.

It also questioned allocations to some ministries, particularly Works and Housing and Transportation, and called for greater transparency in the implementation of major infrastructure projects.

The PDP expressed concern over allocations to education and health, arguing that greater resources should be committed to the two sectors.

“Standing with millions of Nigerian youths and women, our party rejects the paltry budgets of N48 billion for Education and N46 billion for Health and urges the National Assembly to review the allocations in the interest of Nigerians,” the party said.

The PDP also accused Buhari of failing to provide what it considered a satisfactory account of the implementation of the 2019 budget during his presentation to lawmakers.

It questioned the government’s economic performance, citing the level of public debt, pressure on the naira and changes in Nigeria’s foreign reserves.

The party further challenged the Presidency to publish a detailed breakdown of its own allocation, arguing that Nigerians deserved greater transparency over how funds assigned to the office of the President would be spent.

The PDP maintained that the National Assembly should scrutinise the budget carefully and make adjustments that would prioritise employment, education, healthcare, infrastructure and other programmes capable of improving the living conditions of Nigerians.

The allegations formed part of the opposition party’s response to Buhari’s 2020 budget proposal and reflected its broader criticism of the economic policies of the APC-led Federal Government.