Reflections on My 65th Birthday
Today, July 19, 2026, marks my 65th birthday. At sixty-five, birthdays should naturally become moments of deep reflection - moments to look back with gratitude to Almighty God for His abundant graces, examine the journey so far, and ask how the remaining years can be devoted more meaningfully to the service of God and humanity.
Perhaps in countries where basic human needs have largely been met, where institutions function effectively, and where citizens enjoy a greater measure of security and dignity, such attainments may rightly call for elaborate celebrations. In Nigeria, however, our reality compels a different kind of reflection.
Our nation is blessed with enormous human and natural resources, yet millions of our people continue to struggle with challenges that demand our collective attention. We cannot afford to celebrate ourselves excessively while many around us are burdened by poverty, ill health, unemployment, and limited opportunities. Rather, occasions such as this should remind us of our responsibility to contribute towards building a nation where future generations can genuinely celebrate.
This is why I have always seen birthdays not merely as occasions for personal celebration, but as opportunities for sober reflection, thanksgiving, and a renewed commitment to service.
As I reflected today, I came to a simple conclusion: the greatest celebration of life is not what we receive from others, but the lives we can touch positively.
This conviction has guided my approach throughout my years in business, in the corporate world, and as Governor of Anambra State. In each of these roles, I have tried to see every privilege not as a personal entitlement but as an opportunity to improve the lives of others.
Whenever people or institutions sought to celebrate me with expensive gifts or elaborate ceremonies, I encouraged them instead to redirect those resources towards projects that would have a lasting impact. Over the years, this philosophy has resulted in the building of schools, hostel blocks, support to schools, and other facilities that continue to benefit the less privileged. I have always believed that resources meant for personal comfort can often be transformed into instruments of hope for many.
The greatest honour anyone can receive is not found in gifts, ceremonies, or public admiration, but in knowing that one’s life has contributed, however modestly, to making another person’s life better.
Today, therefore, I give thanks to Almighty God for the gift of life and for bringing me to this important milestone of 65 years. I began the day with a Mass of Thanksgiving in Onitsha, thanking God for His grace, protection, guidance, and the countless blessings He has bestowed upon me over the years.
After the Mass, I proceeded to St. Raphael’s Hospital, Umueri, a small rural hospital in Anambra East Local Government Area. In furtherance of my belief that birthdays should be occasions for service rather than self-indulgence, I donated the sum of ₦10 million to support the hospital’s work of providing quality healthcare to the people.
As I was conducted around the hospital and saw patients in their moments of vulnerability, I was reminded again of our shared humanity. Some of those receiving care may not even have the financial means to settle their hospital bills, yet they deserve compassion, dignity, and access to quality healthcare. Their condition was a reminder that leadership, in its truest form, is about caring for people, especially those who cannot repay our kindness.
Hospitals and schools remain two of the greatest investments any society can make. A hospital preserves life; a school shapes the future. Supporting both is, therefore, not just an act of charity - it is an investment in humanity and in the future of our nation.
UN’s Warning on Northern Nigeria’s Food Crisis
The recent report from the UN about the impending food crisis in northern Nigeria is disheartening, more so because it is avoidable. Northern Nigeria is the nation’s food basket, and nothing short of incompetent and irresponsible leadership could have created this tragedy.
In a recent post on my X handle, I urged our national leaders to reassess their priorities and address the dire circumstances facing our citizens. I called on the Federal Government and state leaders to move beyond mere political discourse and make transparent, upfront investments to secure agricultural corridors, support smallholder farmers with accessible resources, and collaborate vigorously with organisations like the World Food Programme (WFP) to bridge funding gaps before this crisis escalates and claims more lives, especially those of children.
A prosperous Nigeria, free from hunger, is achievable, but it requires leadership that prioritises the welfare of its citizens.
I am deeply troubled by the latest report from the UN’s World Food Programme, indicating that northern Nigeria is experiencing its most severe hunger crisis in nearly a decade. Over 17 million people in nine northern states face crisis-level hunger, with more than 35 million Nigerians nationwide at risk during this challenging season.
The fact that over 10,000 residents of Borno State have entered “catastrophic” hunger conditions represents not only immense human suffering but also a profound national failure. Nigeria should not rank among the world’s hungriest nations, given its abundant resources, particularly the vast stretches of fertile, uncultivated land in the North.
This food crisis stems from two critical structural failures: insecurity and farmers’ inability to access their lands. Banditry and insurgency have turned agrarian communities into displacement zones. Until we secure our agricultural areas, we cannot secure our future.
Our global hunger ranking continues to worsen because of our proclivity for adopting superficial measures that do little to boost agricultural productivity or transform rural infrastructure. We need to adopt policies that address the structural barriers to agricultural productivity and transform our land resources into agro-industrial output. We can overcome hunger and poverty if we urgently shift our focus from consumption to production.
A New Nigeria, devoid of hunger and mass poverty - a Nigeria where we transform our arable land into productive acreage - remains attainable, but it demands leadership that prices the lives and livelihoods of the Nigerian people above grandiose road dualisation projects.
A New Nigeria is POssible. -PO
My Vision for a Productive and Prosperous Nigeria
Today, being the 1st of July, 2026, I wish to humbly recall that when I decided to contest for the office of President of Nigeria, I pledged to place Nigeria on the path of unity and national transformation. Now, as the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate, I will, in the coming weeks and months, provide insights into the roadmap that I am confident will help curb abuse in government, halt the decline in the quality of life of Nigerians at all levels, and usher in an era of unity, peace, sustained progress, and prosperity.
This vision is anchored on a commitment to unity, inclusion, social justice, equity, and the freedom of every citizen to pursue lawful dreams.
Central to this proposed roadmap are significant reforms in education and healthcare, which are at the core of human capital development.
Robust human capital is indispensable infrastructure for national progress. It serves as the fundamental capital upon which daily life, economic expansion, and the delivery of essential public services depend.
These are foundational areas that we must reform with energy and determination if we are to reap the demographic dividend of our youthful population.
From the outset of my presidency, we will establish a task force dedicated to drastically reducing the menace of out-of-school children. We will place greater emphasis on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) to support our drive for massive industrialisation, anchored on our agricultural endowments and value addition across value chains organised around industrial parks to be located in development zones across the geopolitical regions of the country.
Funding and improving the equipment of TVET institutions, through partnerships among government, the private sector, and social entrepreneurs such as faith-based educators, will facilitate apprenticeship opportunities in the private sector, similar to the German dual education system.
The situation in which unemployment remains high while Nigerian entrepreneurs establish businesses elsewhere because skilled labour is scarce must be confronted decisively. Doing so is essential for the common good and for facilitating our transition from a consumption-driven economy to a production-driven one.
Character and civic education, emphasising the values that foster trust - an essential ingredient for enterprise and leadership - as well as shared national values, will receive significant attention within the tripartite approach to governance that we propose.
A New Nigeria is POssible. -PO
Revolution at the ballot 🗳 listen to @EmirSirdam and believe you me, this is the way to go.
Nothing like the Court 2027.
Rig and die.
If you don't count our votes, you can't leave the polling unit.
No excuses 💪
Look at the houses built for Judges in Nigeria.
“One day, we will have two big buildings in Abuja where we will put pictures of people—whether dead or alive—who have messed up this country so that their grandchildren will know their forefathers were part of Nigeria’s problems,”
~ Goodluck Jonathan says
O - Organized
B - broad-based
I - Inclusive
D - democratic
I - international
E - excellence-driven
N - Nigerians from every ethnic group.
T - Transparency in governance. -PO
The NDC Vice Presidential Candidate, Sen. Rabiu Kwankwaso, has arrived in Sokoto State for official engagements.
Kwankwaso is cooking offline; the NDC will win at last.