Former Anambra State Governor and Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has paid the National Examinations Council (NECO) examination fees for 148 inmates across correctional centres in Anambra State.
The inmates sat for the November/December 2025 NECO General Certificate Examination (GCE). Obi also donated ₦15 million to the College of Nursing Sciences, Borromeo, Onitsha, to support infrastructure development and healthcare training.
Obi made the donation during an unscheduled visit to the NECO office in Awka, where he was received by the Anambra State NECO Coordinator, Mrs Emilia Njoku.
Explaining his intervention, Obi said representatives of inmates from correctional centres in Awka, Onitsha, Nnewi and Aguata (Ekwulobia) had approached him after learning they risked being barred from the examination due to unpaid fees.
He said he immediately agreed to stand as guarantor and cover the costs after NECO required a letter of undertaking before payment could be processed.
A total of ₦4,741,400 was paid to cover examination fees for the 148 inmates, including ₦30,050 per candidate and an additional ₦2,000 per inmate for logistics. The beneficiaries comprised 50 inmates from Awka, 36 from Onitsha, 25 from Nnewi and 37 from Aguata.
Obi also disclosed that some of his friends in the diaspora contributed funds and pledged continued support for the initiative in future years.
Commending the gesture, Mrs Njoku described education as essential for rehabilitation, stressing that inmates should be given opportunities for personal development.
Meanwhile, Obi said the ₦15 million donation to the College of Nursing Sciences was part of his ongoing support for medical institutions aimed at strengthening healthcare delivery and improving training standards in the country.