LAGOS FEBRUARY 26TH (NEWSRNAGERS)-Ex-Governor of Anambra State and former presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, Mr Peter Obi, on Tuesday donated the sum of fifteen million Naira to St Philomena College of Nursing Sciences for the training of nurses to boost the nation’s health care delivery.
Donating the premises of the College in Benin City on Tuesday, Obi told the staff and students who came out en masse to welcome him that he was donating to enhance their training, pointing out that there were shortage of health care providers at the grassroots as the nation lacks primary health care centres which ought to be the first point of call for any patient.
Obi told the students that he was not doing them a favour by the donation, maintaining that he was investing in their future and the future of the country.
We are not dashing you anything; rather, we are investing in you as a contribution to make our society better. Here is a country where, if you go to all the villages around, there is no primary health care. If you go to another country that is comparable to Nigeria, such as Indonesia, where I visited recently, they have over 90% medical insurance coverage.
Every village in Indonesia has a primary health care facility manned by two or three nurses. Doctors come every other day. So they have proper health care. We don’t have it here.”
On whether the gesture is not politically motivated, Obi said: “I’ve always been caring for people even before I ventured into politics. As a private citizen, I was in Afghanistan when that country was in crisis, and I was also in Rwanda during the humanitarian crisis there.
“As a sitting Governor, I obtained permission from President Jonathan to go to Haiti when that country was hit by an earthquake to render humanitarian service, because I want to build where things are difficult.
“Most places I make donations like this, the people there don’t even vote. I go to over sixty Colleges of Nursing annually, because we need to invest in the future of these children,” the former governor declared.
While expressing gratitude to Obi for the donation, the Administrator of St. Philomena Hospital and St Philomena College of Nursing Sciences, Rev. Fr. Jerome Idibie, noted that the former Anambra State Governor has been a pillar of support to the hospital and the College over the years.
According to the Administrator, “The visit of Peter Obi gives us many reasons to be happy. For several years, not just this year, he has been a friend to our facility, a benefactor to many of our projects.
“When we call, he answers. Before we call, he also answers to support the good work here in human capacity building, especially in nursing care.”
One of the students of the College, Ajayi Osarenoman Princess, while thanking Obi for the donation and his interest in their nursing training, pointed out that the health sector in the country needs a lot of interventions from public-spirited individuals like Obi.
According to her, “His assistance is a very big deal for us, the students. He has been here for up to three times now, and each time he comes, he does so with different forms of intervention, which shows he wants to see us grow, he wants to see us better,” she said.
Independence
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