Former Anambra State governor and 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has donated ₦20 million to the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Calabar, to tackle critical infrastructure challenges confronting the institution.
Obi disclosed that the intervention was prompted by a similar appeal he received the previous week from the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, which led to his visit there.
“Following the SOS appeal I got last week and my subsequent visit to the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, I received a similar SOS appeal from the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Calabar on Saturday, highlighting a similar issue,” he said.
According to him after listening to their concerns and inspecting the faculty’s condition, Obi pledged personal support to prevent the disruption of their academic journey.
“Today, I was in Calabar to meet with the students, and after my interaction with them, I offered my commitment towards ensuring their education is not derailed,” he said.
He announced the donation of ₦20 million to help address the urgent need for dental chairs and other tools essential to the students’ training.
“I made a modest donation of ₦20 million to support the Faculty’s immediate requirements of providing dental chairs to equip the studies of the students,” Obi added.
Obi called on the federal government to prioritize investments in critical sectors such as education and healthcare, stressing that such areas are fundamental to national progress.
“I urge the Government to prioritise critical areas of development of education, healthcare and pulling people out of poverty,” he said.
He urged authorities to intervene swiftly in the matter, emphasizing the need for both financial and institutional support to the university’s leadership.
“The government is to give this situation urgent attention by providing both financial and institutional support to the university leadership and assisting these students who have worked so hard to ensure this issue is resolved and their education remains uninterrupted,” he said.
Obi commended the Vice Chancellor of UNICAL and her management team for their resilience and efforts in trying to shield the students from the harsh consequences of the system’s failure.
“I thank the Vice Chancellor and her team for all the hard work they have put in to ensure that these students are not made to suffer for circumstances that are in no way their fault,” he said.
He expressed frustration over the continued neglect of key sectors, warning that such oversight puts the nation’s future at risk.
“At this critical time in our nation, we must stop neglecting healthcare, education and pulling people out of poverty. We must, as leaders, build a country where our students can focus on learning without a lack of basic facilities and tools,” Obi said.
Obi emphasized the urgent need for a national turnaround, stating that children must not be the victims of systemic collapse.
“We must do better as a nation. Our children must not continue to lose their future in Nigeria,” he said.
