The 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, has decried the state of Nigeria’s health institutions, blaming their decay on consistent leadership failure at the federal level.
Obi made the remark during an unannounced visit to the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu State. His visit followed a formal appeal for support by the students’ Re-accreditation Fundraising Committee.
Moved by their letter and after confirming its authenticity with the institution’s authorities, Obi presented a personal donation of N15 million to the students. He promised to rally more support from philanthropic Nigerians to ensure the faculty secures re-accreditation.
The cheque was handed over to Comrade Boston Chukwuemeka (Jnr), Chairman of the Fundraising Committee, and Comrade Daniel Ogba, President of the University of Nigeria Dental Students Association.
“Leadership failure is at the heart of the decay in our health institutions. If we can spend N6 billion on a National Assembly car park, but leave our hospitals and universities to rot, then our priorities are broken,” Obi said during his address to the students.
He recalled his own student days at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), and described how former President Shehu Shagari once interacted directly with students to understand their needs.
“I am a Lion, an alumnus of UNN. I didn’t inform the Provost because this visit is not about fanfare, it’s about seeing things for myself. I know what it means to study in a university that lacks facilities,” he added.
Obi, who also holds academic credentials from globally respected institutions including Harvard, Oxford, and Cambridge, criticized the federal government’s misplaced priorities in health and education funding. He said Nigeria’s future depends on how it treats these sectors.
Meanwhile, the visit sparked a political reaction in Edo State, where Governor Monday Okpebholo warned that Obi should inform the state government before making any future visits.
Okpebholo, speaking in Uromi, Esan North East Local Government Area, said Obi’s recent visit to St. Philomena Hospital in Benin — where he donated another N15 million — led to unrest that resulted in three deaths.
“He cannot come to Edo without telling me. A new sheriff is in town. If he comes again without informing me, his security will not be guaranteed. Whatever happens, he’ll have to take responsibility,” the governor declared.
The governor made the remarks while receiving Hon. Marcus Onobun, a former PDP lawmaker who defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
