Mr. Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party, at the weekend visited the College of Nursing Sciences, St. Charles Borromew Hospital, Onitsha where he donated ₦15 million to support the institution.
He said the gesture was in line with his long-standing commitment to education and healthcare, which he described as the twin foundations of sustainable national development.
Addressing the management, staff, and students, Mr. Obi emphasized the central role of nurses and other health professionals in sustaining the healthcare system.
He noted that strengthening training institutions is critical to improving service delivery and saving lives, urging students to pursue their studies with discipline, excellence, and a strong sense of service despite the challenges facing the sector.
To illustrate the life-saving importance of nurses, Mr. Obi recounted an incident he witnessed during a flight from Lagos to Asaba, while en route to the nursing school.
He said a woman on board suddenly began gasping for breath, raising fears, but the situation was calmly brought under control by a nurse who was also a passenger on the flight.
Mr. Obi also spoke on healthcare delivery across nations, citing Indonesia’s achievement of over 95 percent medical insurance coverage, compared to Nigeria’s estimated coverage of about five percent.
He said the contrast highlights what is possible when countries deliberately invest in healthcare and ensure access down to the village level.
He assured the students of his continued support for nursing schools and called on friends and well-meaning Nigerians to assist such institutions within their capacities.
Touching on global migration trends, he noted that despite visa restrictions in some countries, nurses remain exempted because they are in high demand worldwide, reflecting the universal value of their profession.
The management of the College of Nursing Sciences expressed deep appreciation for the donation, describing it as timely and impactful. In his remarks, Fr. Basil Ekwunife, welcomed Mr. Obi and recalled his tenure as Governor of Anambra State, noting that his administration transformed the state through strategic investments in education, healthcare and other sectors, while commending his commitment to national progress.