The 2027 presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Peter Obi, has revealed how he reduced the cost of governance while serving as governor of Anambra State.
Speaking in Washington, DC, United States, on Monday, Obi said he deliberately avoided unnecessary spending and travelled without the large entourage usually associated with public officials.
According to the former Anambra State governor, he rejected inflated budgets for the renovation of his official facilities, explaining that projects were completed for significantly less than the amounts originally provided for in the budget.
“When I was governor, the budget for refurbishing my office was N298 million, but I did everything with N48 million. There was also a budget of N486 million to refurbish my house, but I completed everything with N81 million,” Obi said.
The presidential candidate equally spoke about the costs associated with official travel, saying he refused to travel with the number of people who could ordinarily accompany a governor on official trips.
“As a governor, you are supposed to travel with 30 people to several places. Over the years I was governor, I didn’t use 16 percent of my travel allowance because I wasn’t travelling with anybody. I was the only person invited; nobody invited them,” he said.
He reiterated that Nigeria’s limited resources should be directed towards productive sectors capable of improving the living conditions of citizens.