”For good 24 hours, Obi danced naked in the public square, trying to curry the attention of those who care to listen to his falsehood” – Shettima slams Obi for criticizing N15bn contract for VP Residence upgrade

Nigeria’s Vice President, Kashim Shettima, has responded to comments made by the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, Mr. Peter Obi, regarding the proposed N15.5 billion budget for the construction of a new official residence for the Vice President by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).

The FCT Minister, Nysom Wike, recently disclosed the government’s intention to allocate funds for a “befitting residence” for the Vice President, a move criticized by Obi in a series of tweets on his X handle on Monday, referring to it as “shocking and disheartening.”

In response to the criticism, Shettima, in a release issued by his media aide, Stanley Nkwocha, on Tuesday, December 5, accused Obi of publicly engaging in attention-seeking behavior, stating that Obi was “dancing naked in the public square” while attempting to capture the attention of those interested in his misleading views on wasteful expenditures.

“For good 24 hours, Obi danced naked in the public square, trying to curry the attention of those who care to listen to his falsehood and warped opinions about waste.

“On Sunday, he accused the current administration of sponsoring over 1,400 delegates to Dubai for COP28. The next day, being Monday, the subject of his new found passion – armchair criticism – after his colossal loss at the presidential poll was the proposed N15.5billion budgeted by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to renovate the house of the Vice President, which he claimed would pay the annual salary of 3,000 University Professors.”

Shettima clarified that the proposed plan for the construction of the Vice President’s official residence, for which budgetary allocation was made in the 2024 budget by the FCT Administration, was awarded by the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.