'First Lady' not constitutional, job is to look after president - Peter Obi

Obi expressed his concerns during a world press conference held at the Labour Party National Headquarters in Abuja on Monday, October 06, 2023.

During his address, Obi emphasised the purpose of a supplementary budget, stating that it is meant for addressing vital needs of the people not adequately covered in the original budget.

He cited the alarming report from the UN World Food Organisation, indicating that 26.5 million Nigerians would face hunger next year, as a significant issue that should be addressed through a supplementary budget.

Obi strongly criticised the government's decision to allocate funds for yachts and SUVs for the First Lady's office, calling it a display of the government's lack of concern.

"We have a supplementary budget where we are mentioning issues of yacht and SUVs for First Lady's office shows that This government is totally uncaring, we are in deep problems. Bringing in a first lady office that is not even our constitution is another problem.

"All the funding allocated to the unconstitutional office of the First Lady should have been transferred to educating and caring for the Girl-Child.In Nigeria The first lady's job is to look after the president."

The controversy surrounds the federal government's plan to spend ₦1.5 billion on the procurement of vehicles for the Office of the First Lady, a budgetary allocation outlined in the ₦2.1 trillion supplementary budget for 2023 submitted to the National Assembly for approval.

The supplementary budget, totaling ₦2.17 trillion, was approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) last Monday.

Recall President Bola Tinubu's victory speech from March 1, 2023, where he humorously stated that his wife, Remi Tinubu, would not be returning to the Senate but would assume the role of a housewife and First Lady.