Earlier this month, my dear sister @AishaYesufu called to give me the disturbing information that there were no computers, functional laboratories, or electricity in the Secondary School in Chibok, the same school where over 200 girls were sadly kidnapped by Boko Haram in 2014, with 70 still unaccounted for.
With a population of over 2,500, the school had only one desktop computer. Aisha Yesufu respectfully requested that I buy an additional two and help install solar lighting, even if it was only for the computer classroom.
While I was trying to contact His Excellency, my brother Governor Zulum, to enable me to visit the school, I was advised against doing so due to security concerns.
Aisha Yesufu accordingly arranged a meeting between me and the Chibok community leaders in Abuja, where I presented them with 10 laptops and 3 printers as a start. I also donated the sum of ₦2 million each towards providing some items for the lab, the computer classroom, and a handheld motorised borehole, totalling ₦6 million.
I promised to do more and made it clear to them that what I was doing was not a donation, but a sincere commitment and a promise to the future of our community.
However, occasions like this are deeply disturbing and cause me to reflect and personally question our priorities and the rising costs of misgovernance.
One wonders why we live in a nation where our students don’t have labs, books, or even pencils, while our leaders live in opulence, spending billions to renovate conference centres, build car parks, and furnish new lodges of international standards.
I continue to plead on behalf of all of us that the time has come for self-examination. We must prioritise critical areas of development, education, healthcare, and pulling our people out of poverty. -PO
I’m Hausa
I’m a Muslim
I’m a Northerner
I’m an #Obidient
Obidient movement is not a regional movement, it’s a national/global movement for the well meaning and Patriotic Nigerians.
Certainly, @PeterObi is COMING…
Five Years Without Pay: An Urgent Call for Justice for Staff of Nnamdi Azikiwe University
Today, I met with a group of teaching and non-teaching staff of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka and heard their pathetic story. What they shared with me was both shocking and heartbreaking. These are individuals who were duly employed by the university between 2019 and 2020, yet have remained without pay for five years.
They informed me that despite multiple petitions and appeals — both within Nigeria and to relevant international bodies — their situation has remained unchanged. What they face is not simply delayed salaries, but complete exclusion from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), which has made the disbursement of their lawful earnings impossible.
Their accounts are harrowing. Some have lost their homes due to eviction. Others have suffered broken families, untreated medical conditions, and in some tragic cases, the death of colleagues who could not afford basic healthcare. These are not isolated incidents but the consequences of systemic neglect and failure.
While we continue to lament poor investment in education, here is a clear case where even the most basic obligation to educational workers — the payment of salaries — has not been met.
This is not just a labour issue; it is a moral and humanitarian one. I call on the Federal Government to act swiftly and decisively to resolve this matter. The affected staff must be immediately enrolled on the IPPIS platform, and all outstanding arrears must be paid without delay. A nation that neglects its educators and university staff undermines its own future. Their dignity, like that of every Nigerian worker, must be protected. -PO
Eid al-Adha: A Time for Reflection, Sacrifice, and Leadership
As our Muslim brothers and sisters celebrate Eid al-Adha, I join them in thanking Almighty Allah for the grace of sacrifice, unity, and peace that this sacred occasion represents. This solemn festivity reminds us of the enduring power of faith, obedience, and selflessness.
This celebration is also a time for deep reflection on the values that bind us as a people - compassion, justice, and a shared responsibility for one another, especially the most vulnerable in our midst.
May it especially be an opportunity for our leaders at all levels to reflect on the noble virtues of leadership - sacrifice, accountability, humility, and service - and apply them becomingly in the discharge of public duty.
I wish all Nigerians a peaceful and joyful Sallah. May this season renew our collective hope, strengthen our unity, and inspire us all to work toward a better, more inclusive Nigeria. Eid Mubarak!
-PO