ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- The Labour Party Presidential Candidate Peter Obi traveled to Kaduna on Tuesday to extend condolences to victims of the error bombing that tragically claimed about 100 lives, with many still undergoing treatment in hospitals.
During his visit to Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital, where the victims are receiving care, Obi commended the Kaduna State Government for its efforts in providing relief to the affected individuals.
While acknowledging the bravery of the nation’s military, he urged them to exercise caution and professionalism to prevent future accidents that result in the loss of innocent lives.
Obi also took the opportunity to express his concern about the apparent misalignment of priorities by the Federal Government of Nigeria.
He pointed out that while attention is given to non-essential issues, critical areas like security suffer. He particularly criticized the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, for stating that budgetary allocations to the military are not being promptly released while funds are available for luxury items and unnecessary expenses.
In a statement posted on his social media handle after the visit, Obi called on the Federal Government of Nigeria to translate verbal support for security agencies into actionable measures. He emphasized the need to investigate General Musa’s remarks about delayed allocations to the military and stressed the importance of redirecting resources to crucial areas such as security.
In a release on his X handle after the visits, Obi said “l call on the Federal Government of Nigeria to ensure that the rhetorics of support to security agencies now transcend mere words and letters to deliverable actions.
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“The recent remark by the Chief of Defence Staff, General Musa, that not all their statutory allocations are released to them as and when due, must be looked into. We cannot, as a country, continue to release funds for the purchase of SUVs for politicians, renovations of buildings, unnecessary travels, parties, and conferences, while depriving resources to areas of top priority and great importance, like security, which if handled properly, will immensely contribute to turn around the sufferings of Nigerians, including farmers going back to their farms to tackle one big challenge fuelling inflation in Nigeria today – the cost of food items.
“Today, I visited Kaduna state to commiserate with the grieving good people of the state on the unfortunate accidental bombing by the Nigeria Army at Tudun Biri village in Igabi Local Government of the State.
“While in Kaduna I took time also to visit the Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital, where those wounded in the ugly incident are receiving treatment.
“May Almighty God forgive the sins of those that died grant them eternal rest, and grant their families the fortitude to bear their irreplaceable losses. And for those receiving treatment in the hospital, I pray to God Almighty to grant them quick recovery.
“I thank the government of Kaduna State for their kind and caring intervention for the affected victims. I urge governments at all levels, and the good people of Nigeria to help in setting up a foundation for compensation of families affected in this particular incident and similar incidents in the past, and most importantly, in educating the young children orphaned in this incident.
“Furthermore, while thanking our gallant soldiers and other security agencies for the great work they are doing in securing Nigeria, especially at this challenging time, there is now a need for extra caution in their operations, because the occurrence of 16 mishaps which have claimed about 485 lives, since 2009 when we started the war against insurgency, is quite worrisome. We need to take every necessary precaution to avoid future occurrences while remaining focused on securing Nigeria.
Obi concluded by reiterating his plea for the nation to prioritize critical and productive areas that benefit Nigerians, emphasizing his commitment to building a new Nigeria that aligns with the collective dreams of the people.