Former Presidential Candidate, Ex-IPAC Chairman Demands Accountability in National Spending
Chief Peter Ameh, former 2019 presidential candidate and past National Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), has raised serious concerns over the recently unveiled 2025 Federal Budget, describing it as a “monument to waste, misplaced priorities, and an assault on Nigeria’s future.”
In a strongly worded statement issued today in Abuja, Ameh highlighted alarming instances of misallocated funds, duplicated projects, and questionable expenditures that deviate from the core mandates of government ministries.
Budgetary Chaos and Misplaced Priorities
Ameh pointed to glaring examples of fiscal recklessness, including:
Ministry of Agriculture allocating N100 million for hairdresser training while food inflation nears 30%
Ministry of Foreign Affairs budgeting N300 millionfor relief materials for internally displaced persons (IDPs) a responsibility that should fall under the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs.
Ministry of Arts and Culture
listing the same project—renovation of artist hostels six times with identical costs, suggesting duplication or fraud.
Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) including questionable items like N150 million for furnishing royal palaces in Gombe and **N800 million for vague “honorarium and sitting allowances.”
Cash Grants: A Tool for Corruption?
Of particular concern, Ameh noted, is the proliferation of “cash grants” some as high as **N300 million**—inserted by lawmakers without proper oversight.
These grants are a smokescreen for corruption, he stated. A legislator can disburse a fraction to constituents and pocket the rest, with no paper trail. This explains why politicians live in luxury while Nigerians starve.”
Lack of Strategic Coordination
The budget, Ameh argued, lacks a coherent national strategy, with ministries straying from their core functions:
Ministries not tasked with infrastructure** are building roads and schools.
N200 million allocated for tricycles (Keke) without justification.
N767 million spent on maintaining a Ministry of Labour office in Geneva despite Nigeria’s domestic unemployment crisis.
This is not governance—it is a free-for-all looting spree,”* Ameh declared.
Call for Immediate Reforms
Ameh demanded urgent reforms to restore sanity to Nigeria’s budgeting process, including:
Strict alignment of projects with ministerial mandates.
Elimination of duplicated and vague budget items.
Mandatory feasibility studies, environmental impact assessments, and public audits.
Transparent oversight by the National Assembly.
“If we do not act now, Nigeria’s economy will collapse under the weight of this corruption, he warned.
Conclusion: A Betrayal of Public Trust.
Ameh lamented that the 2025 budget reflects a government more interested in self-enrichment than national development.
“This budget is not just flawed—it is a betrayal. Nigerians deserve better than a system where budgets are tools for personal greed rather than national progress.”
