By Ihechi Enyinnaya
Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, has donated the sum of ₦15 million to the Dental Students Association of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), following an urgent appeal for support to upgrade their laboratory and scale up the department’s graduation and induction quota.
In a statement released after a period of national mourning for former President Muhammadu Buhari, Obi said he refrained from making any public comments out of respect, but felt compelled to act once the mourning officially ended.
Obi disclosed that he had received a letter from the UNN Dental Students Association earlier in the week, requesting a ₦40 million intervention to aid their re-accreditation process.
“Today, I visited because we cannot, in good conscience, continue to allow our young people to suffer due to leadership failure,” Obi stated.
He described his ₦15 million donation as a “modest contribution” to support the education of medical and dental students at the institution, while reiterating his longstanding commitment to the advancement of education and healthcare in Nigeria.
Lamenting what he called the “tragedy of misplaced priorities” in the country, Obi condemned government spending on luxury and non-essential projects while critical sectors like education and health remain underfunded.
“I continue to question the kind of country we are building, where our leaders and public servants spend millions on luxury cars and ignore critical areas of development, health, education, and pulling people out of poverty,” he said.
He stressed that failure to prioritise core sectors undermines the future of the country and betrays the trust of young Nigerians.
“A New Nigeria is POssible,” Obi concluded.