Former presidential candidate and Labour Party leader, Mr. Peter Obi, has donated ₦15 million to the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) Dental Students Association to support the urgent upgrade of their laboratory, a key requirement for their department’s re-accreditation process.

Obi revealed the donation in a public statement on Thursday, following an appeal letter from the association requesting ₦40 million to scale up the department’s graduation and induction quota. The donation, he said, aligns with his longstanding commitment to supporting education and healthcare development in Nigeria.

According to him, “Earlier this week, I received a letter from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka Dental Students Association, appealing for urgent intervention and support… Today, I visited, because we cannot, in good conscience, continue to allow our young people to suffer due to leadership failure.”

Mr. Obi added that he refrained from making any public statements during the recent period of national mourning following the death of a former Nigerian President, out of respect. However, he emphasized that action was urgently needed now that the mourning period has ended.

Criticizing the government’s priorities, Obi decried the ongoing neglect of key sectors like health and education, contrasting them with excessive spending on luxury items and non-essential infrastructure.

“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. It is a tragedy of misplaced priorities,” he said.

Obi stressed the need to “invest in the future of Nigerian youth,” warning that failure to do so undermines the nation’s future.

His statement ended with a reaffirmation of his political mantra: “A New Nigeria is POssible.”