Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi, has explained that the N20 million he donated in Calabar is intended to help alleviate the burden on students of the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Calabar.

The educational pursuits of over 300 dentistry students at the university were at risk of being truncated after the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, MDCN, allocated only 10 slots to UNICAL due to a lack of dentistry equipment. The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof Florence Obi, had offered to transfer the students to other institutions, but the students protested against the proposal.

Obi decried how the government had neglected what he described as the most basic educational needs of students, while political leaders indulged in extravagance and basked in opulence.

Speaking at Calabar Airport, the former governor of Anambra State said, “The situation in UNICAL is a direct reflection of failed leadership. We cannot continue to allow our children to bear the brunt of our political blunders.

“We spend millions on luxury for political office holders, yet young Nigerians pursuing education lack the most basic tools. It shouldn’t be so.”

According to Obi, the situation at the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Calabar, was a glaring leadership failure in Nigeria’s education sector. He said the N20 million donation was to support the upgrade of critical infrastructure in the faculty.

“This token is to help procure 15 additional dental chairs, a key requirement set by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria for expanding the faculty’s student intake,” he said.

He urged the authorities to consider the plight of the affected students, whose academic progress had been severely hampered by inadequate facilities.

Obi called on other well-meaning Nigerians and leaders to support institutions like UNICAL, insisting that the future of the country depends on how well its citizens are educated and empowered.