Obinna Onwude

Dentist, public health and COA strategy consultant. Views are mine.

[Obinna Onwude @oonwood]

@Kickflowdown @asemota LOL.

[Obinna Onwude @oonwood]

Arsenal are champions 🏆

[Obinna Onwude @oonwood]

Well said sir. We want a Nigeria where doing the right thing is the norm. Where respect for the rights of others is ingrained in our psyche & permiates the actions of every institution. Where meritocracy is the rule rather than the exception. A new Nigeria POssible

[Peter Obi @PeterObi]

Fellow Nigerians, good morning.

I woke up this morning after my church service with a deeply reflective heart, and despite every constraint, I felt compelled to share these thoughts with you.

Many people do not truly understand the silent pains some of us carry daily—the private struggles, emotional burdens, and quiet battles we face while trying to survive and serve sincerely in difficult circumstances.

We now live in an environment that has become increasingly toxic, where the very system that should protect and create opportunities for decent living often works against the people—a society where intimidation, insecurity, endless scrutiny, and discouragement have become normal.

More painful is when some of those you associate with, believing you would find understanding and solidarity among them, become part of the pressure you face. Some who publicly identify with you privately distance themselves or join in unfair criticism.

We live in a society where humility is mistaken for weakness, respect is seen as a lack of courage, and compassion is treated as foolishness—a system where treating people equally is questioned simply because you refuse to worship status, tribe, class, or power.

Personally, I have never looked down on anyone except to uplift them. I have never used privilege, position, or resources to oppress others, intimidate the weak, or make people feel small. To me, leadership has always been about service, sacrifice, and helping others rise.

Let me state clearly: my decision to leave the ADC is not because our highly respected Chairman, Senator David Mark, treated me badly, nor because my leader and elder brother, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, or any other respected leaders did anything personally wrong to me. I will continue to respect them.

However, the same Nigerian state and its agents that created unnecessary crises and hostility within the Labour Party that forced me to leave now appear to be finding their way into the ADC, with endless court cases, internal battles, suspicion, and division, instead of focusing on deeper national problems and playing politics built more on control and exclusion than on service and nation-building.

Even within spaces where one labours sincerely, one is sometimes treated like an outsider in one’s own home. You and your team become easy targets for every failure, frustration, or misunderstanding, as though honest contribution has become a favour being tolerated rather than appreciated.

And when you choose to leave so that those you are leaving can have peace, and you step out into the cold, you are still maligned and your character is questioned. Despite all your efforts to continue working for a better Nigeria and engaging people with sincerity and goodwill, those who do not wish you well continue to attack your character and question your intentions.

There are moments I ask God in prayer: Why is doing the right thing often misconstrued as wrongdoing in our country? Why is integrity not valued? Why is the prudent management of resources, especially when invested in critical areas like education and healthcare, wrongly labelled as stinginess? Why are humility and obedience to the rule of law often taken to be weakness rather than discipline?

Let me assure all that I am not desperate to be President, Vice President, or Senate President. I am desperate to see a society that can console a mother whose child has been kidnapped or killed while going to school or work. I am desperate to see a Nigeria where people will not live in IDP camps but in their homes. I am desperate for a country where Nigerian citizens do not go to bed hungry, not knowing where their next meal will come from.

Yet, despite everything, I remain resolute. I firmly believe that Nigeria can still become a country with competent leadership based on justice, compassion, and equal opportunity for all.

A new Nigeria is POssible. -PO

[Peter Obi @PeterObi]

Fellow Nigerians, good morning.

I woke up this morning after my church service with a deeply reflective heart, and despite every constraint, I felt compelled to share these thoughts with you.

Many people do not truly understand the silent pains some of us carry daily—the private struggles, emotional burdens, and quiet battles we face while trying to survive and serve sincerely in difficult circumstances.

We now live in an environment that has become increasingly toxic, where the very system that should protect and create opportunities for decent living often works against the people—a society where intimidation, insecurity, endless scrutiny, and discouragement have become normal.

More painful is when some of those you associate with, believing you would find understanding and solidarity among them, become part of the pressure you face. Some who publicly identify with you privately distance themselves or join in unfair criticism.

We live in a society where humility is mistaken for weakness, respect is seen as a lack of courage, and compassion is treated as foolishness—a system where treating people equally is questioned simply because you refuse to worship status, tribe, class, or power.

Personally, I have never looked down on anyone except to uplift them. I have never used privilege, position, or resources to oppress others, intimidate the weak, or make people feel small. To me, leadership has always been about service, sacrifice, and helping others rise.

Let me state clearly: my decision to leave the ADC is not because our highly respected Chairman, Senator David Mark, treated me badly, nor because my leader and elder brother, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, or any other respected leaders did anything personally wrong to me. I will continue to respect them.

However, the same Nigerian state and its agents that created unnecessary crises and hostility within the Labour Party that forced me to leave now appear to be finding their way into the ADC, with endless court cases, internal battles, suspicion, and division, instead of focusing on deeper national problems and playing politics built more on control and exclusion than on service and nation-building.

Even within spaces where one labours sincerely, one is sometimes treated like an outsider in one’s own home. You and your team become easy targets for every failure, frustration, or misunderstanding, as though honest contribution has become a favour being tolerated rather than appreciated.

And when you choose to leave so that those you are leaving can have peace, and you step out into the cold, you are still maligned and your character is questioned. Despite all your efforts to continue working for a better Nigeria and engaging people with sincerity and goodwill, those who do not wish you well continue to attack your character and question your intentions.

There are moments I ask God in prayer: Why is doing the right thing often misconstrued as wrongdoing in our country? Why is integrity not valued? Why is the prudent management of resources, especially when invested in critical areas like education and healthcare, wrongly labelled as stinginess? Why are humility and obedience to the rule of law often taken to be weakness rather than discipline?

Let me assure all that I am not desperate to be President, Vice President, or Senate President. I am desperate to see a society that can console a mother whose child has been kidnapped or killed while going to school or work. I am desperate to see a Nigeria where people will not live in IDP camps but in their homes. I am desperate for a country where Nigerian citizens do not go to bed hungry, not knowing where their next meal will come from.

Yet, despite everything, I remain resolute. I firmly believe that Nigeria can still become a country with competent leadership based on justice, compassion, and equal opportunity for all.

A new Nigeria is POssible. -PO

[Obinna Onwude @oonwood]

Novel experience. Just 10 people on my flight today. Sit anywhere you like. EWR to DC

[Obinna Onwude @oonwood]

@elnathan_john Same in the UK

[Obinna Onwude @oonwood]

@asemota Yep. Gave him a massive funding boost too.

[Obinna Onwude @oonwood]

@asemota Commiserations, man.

[Obinna Onwude @oonwood]

@asemota Agreed. Always ask. If they want you, they will get ad close as they can. Perhaps ghe salary band may not allow then to, so they will buffer with allowances. This has happened to me in the UK.
Nigerians usually do not. It's something we need to do more of.

[Obinna Onwude @oonwood]

@RealBigAbbey @jpattueyi @BOTAD01 *a curved...

[Obinna Onwude @oonwood]

@RealBigAbbey @jpattueyi @BOTAD01 My son broke 3 Sony TVs. Different times. One of them are curved TV. I have always been strict with the children. I have a photo of him looking penitant after the first breakage. To be clear, TV was hung up! Nothing to do with indulgence.

[Obinna Onwude @oonwood]

@asemota @DUBYMADU A few years ago. In the patriotic mode as I needed a new current account, I tried to open a Zenith UK account. I was asked to bring a minimum £6000 deposit. I had a good laugh. Citi & HSBC dot ask for a penny to open an account. I asked the fellow I spoke to if he had that saved

[Obinna Onwude @oonwood]

@bigbrovar @docneto Marrakech is not the capital but they have an airport much better than any in Lagos. We can't compare those two cities. Even countryside towns in Morocco have constant electricity.

[Obinna Onwude @oonwood]

@OluwatobiAjayiJ @OfficialKKD__ *these

[Obinna Onwude @oonwood]

@OluwatobiAjayiJ @OfficialKKD__ where you can lease a brand new car for 2-3 years, return it and get a new one. Thats what feeds the second hand car markets in this countries. Thats as well as fleet cars for taxis, etc. Not sure how we square that circle in the Nigerian context

[Obinna Onwude @oonwood]

Dave Chappelle's super power, IMHO, is his ability to weave threads into a story; at the end of which a common thread runs. Just seen his new Netflix special. WOW! Just wow!

[Obinna Onwude @oonwood]

Listening to Sky News, and hearing that the UK PM has to pay for his food at Chequers on Christmas day, and when he is there and has no official duty. Same as the White House. Quite different from Aso and all our Govt Houses. Quite the difference.

[Obinna Onwude @oonwood]

@data_normad @OracleAyo @firstladyship It's a matter of perspective. I have bought all my car abroad cash. Recently I was considering the opportunity cost of not taking the cheapish loans at 2-3% a few years ago and investing the upfront full paid cash for 2 German cars, the most recent for my wife and I in an ETF