The presidential candidate of Labour Party in the February 25, 2023 election, Mr Peter Obi has explained his reason for the exceptional philanthropy in the donation of over N200 million within a week in support of education across the country, saying all is his bid to provide a future for the younger generation.
Speaking yesterday (Saturday, October 19) at the 70th anniversary of Queens School, Enugu, organised by Queens School Old Girls Association (QSEOGA), 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 Thursday, I was at Almajiri School in Kaduna to attend to their needs also.
“I have donated over N200 million within the week on education,” he said.
While emphasising the importance of investing in education, Obi said that no country would succeed without education.
He said he is investing in the future of the young ones to discourage them from crime, stressing that the future of any country would depend on its investment in health and education.
He decried the state of Queens School Enugu which, he said, had produced many great people but has lost its glory due to negligence.
“Those of you who studied in this school will be wondering how we got here,” he agonized. “A school that has been celebrated has turned to nothing to be celebrated about.
“I am urging you to pull your resources together toward rebuilding this school.
“My appeal to old girls of this school and others in Nigerians is: Let’s go back and fix our schools rather than build new ones.”
He pledged to partner with the association to give a facelift to the school.
Earlier in her remarks, the National President of the association, Mrs Ifeanyi Egbunike, lamented that many things have gone wrong with the school, emphasizing that the school lacks new structures, in particular.
“I graduated from this school in 1974, and we are celebrating Queens 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,” Egbunike said.
The Chairperson of Enugu Chapter of the association, Mrs Maureen Atuonwu, recalled that Queens School Enugu was established on Oct. 4, 1954, disclosing that alumni of the school came from all over the world to celebrate it at 70 years.
Assuring that the association is working toward uplifting the school, Mrs. 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,” Atuonwu said.
