The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has strongly criticized the 2025 federal budget proposal presented by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, labeling it as “anti-people” and warning that its implementation could exacerbate insecurity, poverty, and despair across Nigeria.
The President unveiled the budget during a joint session of the National Assembly, allocating substantial sums to key sectors: ₦4.91 trillion for defense and security, ₦4.06 trillion for infrastructure, ₦2.48 trillion for health, and ₦3.52 trillion for education. However, in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, the PDP condemned the proposal as unrealistic, opaque, and insincere.
The opposition party accused the Tinubu administration of presenting a budget filled with unverified economic figures and empty campaign promises. They criticized the failure to invest adequately in critical sectors like agriculture, electricity, petroleum, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which they argued are essential for the nation’s growth and stability.
The PDP stated that the proposed ₦47.9 trillion 2025 budget, if implemented, would deepen the country’s crises, warning it would lead to greater insecurity, poverty, and a sense of hopelessness among Nigerians. The party further expressed concern over the lack of transparency in the budget, particularly in the details of capital and recurrent expenditures, which they said were vague and unclear.
“The budget address was more of campaign rhetoric, filled with unsubstantiated economic statistics, false promises, and conjured performance claims. It lacked clear strategies to address insecurity, revive the economy, create jobs, and reduce the cost of living,” the statement read.
The PDP also took issue with the President’s claim that the 2024 budget had an 85% performance rate, without providing a detailed breakdown of capital versus recurrent expenditures. Additionally, they dismissed as “ludicrous” President Tinubu’s assertion that the 2025 budget would significantly reduce inflation from 34.6% to 15% and improve the Naira’s exchange rate from ₦1,700 to ₦1,500 per dollar.
“With a staggering N134.3 trillion debt and no tangible investment in the productive sector, these projections are nothing more than voodoo economics,” the PDP argued, suggesting that the proposed economic targets were overly optimistic and unrealistic.
The party further warned that the projected ₦13 trillion budget deficit, combined with an increased reliance on taxes, would further burden already struggling citizens and businesses, potentially shrinking the economy and discouraging both domestic and foreign investment. The PDP cautioned that these financial pressures could lead to even more widespread hardship for ordinary Nigerians.
In conclusion, the PDP’s statement reflected deep skepticism about the government’s fiscal policies, with the party urging the administration to offer a more transparent, realistic, and people-oriented budget that truly addresses the nation’s pressing challenges.
