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As of the writing of this article, the federal universities are under lock and key over failed promises by the federal government to improve education and welfare for both lecturers and students. Last week, bandits hijacked and blew up trains around the Kaduna-Abuja railroad in two separate repeated attacks. As I pen down this article, 8 people have been feared dead, some 168 people are still missing. Furthermore, both local and international economists and think tanks have dubbed Nigeria the poverty capital of the world. This has also shown in the inflation of goods in the market, and testify to claims that inflation has risen by 17 per cent compared to 8 per cent when Buhari took over. It is on this premise that the article calls for a more responsive and articulated government come 2023. There is a dire need to declare a state of emergency over the present government over its cluelessness and get the nation salvaged by a different and new government that can boost the confidence of downtrodden and embittered citizens in the government. To start with, Nigeria is in dire need of the exact opposite of the present government as president – a detribalised, innovative, self-aware, quick-responsive, agile and young individual. The best candidate that suits this description is Peter Obi. Among the over 20 candidates that have declared interest in the presidency, studies have shown that Peter Obi has higher approval ratings. Mr Peter Gregory Obi, (CON) was born in July 1961. That is, he is 60 years old. He was the former governor of Anambra State serving from 17 March 2006 to 2 November 2006, when he was impeached and from 9 February 2007 to 29 May 2007 after his impeachment was overturned. Although, a fresh election was held on 29 April 2007, he has reappointed governor on 14 June 2007 after a court ruling that he should be allowed to complete a four-year term. It was throughout this period that the banker and businessman came into Nigeria’s political limelight. Two areas mark Peter Obi as the ideal candidate for 2023 – his educational background and his track record and achievements. He attended Christ the King College, Onitsha, where he completed his secondary school education. He was admitted to the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, in 1980, graduating with a B. A (Hons) in philosophy in 1984. He later moved to Lagos where he attended the prestigious Lagos Business School for a Chief Executive Program. He later studied Mid-to-Mid Marketing at the iconic Harvard Business School, Boston, U.S.A., and still too another degree in Change the Game at the same Harvard Business School, Boston, U.S.A. Not relenting on his academic pursuit, he attended the London School of Economics where he studied Financial Mgmt/Business Policy and again moved to Columbia Business School, New York, U.S.A., studying Marketing Management. Peter Obi, while still being a banker and businessman, travelled to Switzerland where he pursued a course in the Senior Executive Program at the Institute for Management Development, Switzerland. He attended another program known as Break-Through Programs for CEOs at the same Institute for Management Development, Switzerland. He moved to Kellogg Graduate School of Management, the U.S.A. for an Advanced Executive Program and a Global Advanced Mgmt Program.
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He further attended the iconic Oxford University: Said Business School, where he was trained in an Advanced Mgmt & Leadership Program and later moved to the prestigious Cambridge University: George Business School for his Advanced Leadership Program. In the areas of humanitarian achievements, Peter Obi stands tall above his peers and competitors. For the want of space and time, I will list a few achievements. Anambra was the first State to initiate Sub-Sovereign Wealth savings, the first of its kind in Sub-Saharan Africa. At a time many other Governors were leaving huge debts, Peter Obi left the equivalent of 500 million dollars in investment as well as local and foreign currency, including $156 million in Dollar-denominated bonds. Secondly, Peter Obi was the first state governor to acquire and disseminate more than 30,000 computers to secondary schools, including 22,500 from HP. The Managing Director for Personal Systems Group HP Inc, Mr FabriceCampoy described the deployment as the biggest of such projects in the Middle East and Africa. Thirdly, he provided Microsoft Academies to more than 500 secondary schools, which the Head of Microsoft in Nigeria (Mr Ken Span) described as the biggest such deployment in Africa so far. Further, during his tenure as governor, he provided Internet access to more than 500 secondary schools, which the CEO of Galaxy Backbone (Mr Gerald Ilukwe) characterized as incomparable to any in the country and over 700 buses were provided to secondary schools in the State by our Government. Peter Obi also supplied boreholes to all local governments and schools in Anambra State. He further went on to build numerous classrooms in all the 177 communities of the State. Finally, his Government won the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (1 Million dollars) as the best-performing state in immunisation in the South-East. With complementary funding from our Government, they used the money to build 10 Maternal and Child Care Centres across the State, particularly in rural communities, in partnership with the Churches. It is just unfortunate that I am restricted by the limitations of time and space to reel out Peter Obi’s credentials. However, so much information abound on the internet and off the internet alike. Nevertheless, the fact remains Peter Obi is Nigeria’s best bet come 2023. Featured Image Source: Punch Newspapers
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