Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in Nigeria’s 2023 general election, has blamed the country’s deteriorating health infrastructure on what he described as a long-standing failure of leadership.
Speaking during an impromptu visit to the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Ituku-Ozalla in Enugu State, Obi condemned the dire state of facilities at the institution, pledging support to aid the faculty’s re-accreditation efforts.
Obi, a former governor of Anambra State and alumnus of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), said he was moved to act after receiving a letter from the students’ fundraising committee seeking financial assistance for reaccreditation.
“Let me start by commending you for the courage to pursue your studies despite the lack of facilities and support,” Obi told the students, noting that the challenges facing medical education in Nigeria are symptomatic of a broader governance crisis.
He presented a ₦15 million donation to the students on behalf of himself and promised to rally more support from well-meaning individuals. “You are the ones who need these facilities, not the lecturers. Leadership has failed you,” he said.
Drawing comparisons with international standards, Obi noted his exposure to top institutions such as Oxford, Cambridge, and Harvard, lamenting that Nigeria’s health and education systems have been neglected in favour of political luxuries.
“For example, we recently spent ₦6 billion on a car park for lawmakers at the National Assembly,” he added. “That’s not just wasteful—it’s immoral when our hospitals and schools are in ruins.”
Obi also referenced his time as a student at UNN during the Second Republic when President Shehu Shagari visited the university and engaged with students directly. “That is leadership,” he said. “Leaders must listen to students and respond to their needs.”
However, Obi’s philanthropic visit has sparked political heat elsewhere. In Edo State, Governor Monday Okpebholo issued a blunt warning, declaring that Obi must inform his office before entering the state or risk compromising his personal security.
Speaking at a political event in Uromi, Okpebholo reacted sharply to Obi’s recent ₦15 million donation to St. Philomena Hospital in Benin City, which he claimed sparked unrest. “I am sending a direct message to him,” the governor said. “A new sheriff is in town. He cannot come to Edo without telling me. If anything happens to him, he will have himself to blame.”
Okpebholo’s remarks, widely viewed as a political shot across the bow, have drawn criticism for stoking hostility in what is expected to be a tense electoral season. Human rights groups and political observers have called for de-escalation, urging the Edo governor to respect the constitutional right of all citizens to move freely.
Meanwhile, former Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Marcus Onobun, used the same event to announce his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), reversing his earlier claim that he was being pressured to join the party.
Obi has not publicly responded to Okpebholo’s warning, but aides close to the former governor insist he will continue his philanthropic visits regardless of political posturing. “He goes where Nigerians need him,” said one associate. “He doesn’t need a clearance to show empathy.”
