The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 elections in Nigeria, Mr Peter Obi, has rationalised his cumulative donations of over N200 million within a week for education purposes.
He spoke during the 70th Anniversary of Queens School, Enugu, organised by Queens School Old Girls Association on Saturday.
Obi said: “On Monday, I was in Onitsha where they started a new university.
“From there, I went to Borromeo College of Nursing.
“On Tuesday, I was at Anyigba in Kogi State to attend to students’ needs and on Thursdays, I was at Almajiri School in Kaduna to attend to their needs also.
“I have donated over N200 million within the week on education.”
While emphasising the importance of investing in education, Obi said that no country would succeed without education.
He said that he was investing in the future of the young ones to discourage them from crime.
Obi, a former two-term Governor of Anambra State, said the future of any country would depend on its investment in health and education.
He decried the state of Queen School, Enugu, which, he said, had produced many great people, but had lost its glory due to negligence.
He said: “Those of you who studied in this school will be wondering how we got here.
“A school that has been celebrated has turned to nothing to be celebrated about.
“I am urging you to pull your resources together towards rebuilding this school.
“My appeal to old girls of this school and others in Nigeria is: ‘Let’s go back and fix our schools than build new ones.’”
Obi pledged to partner with the association to give a facelift to the school.
Earlier in her remarks, the National President of the association, Ifeanyi Egbunike, said that many things had gone wrong with the school.
She said that the school lacked new structures.
Egbunike said: “I graduated from this school in 1974, and we are celebrating Queen School because it has come a long way.
“I am celebrating 50 years of being part of the school.
“The school has groomed and added value to many.
“We chose Obi because he is a man with vision, he is result-oriented and a lover of education.”
The Chairperson of the Enugu State Chapter of the association, Maureen Atuonwu, said that Queen School, Enugu was established on October 4, 1954.
She said that alumni of the school came from all over the world to celebrate its 70th years, adding that the association was working towards uplifting it.
Atuonwu said: “We have come together to discuss ways of rebuilding this school, as the government alone cannot do it.
“We are partnering with the Enugu State Government to see how we can take this school to greater heights.
“This school has produced a lot of professionals who excelled in their various fields of endeavour, including Prof. Ngozi Okwonjo-Iweala.”
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