Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has donated ₦15 million to the School of Nursing Sciences, Holy Rosary Hospital, Emekuku, Imo State, while renewing his call for greater investment in healthcare and education as the foundation for national development.
During a visit to the institution, Obi said Nigeria cannot achieve sustainable growth without strengthening the sectors that produce skilled professionals and improve the quality of life of citizens.
Addressing students, management and staff of the nursing school, the former Anambra State governor described healthcare workers as indispensable to national progress, noting that every society depends on a well-trained and motivated healthcare workforce.
“The world needs you more than you need the world because healthcare is one of humanity’s most fundamental needs,” he said.
Obi argued that countries that have achieved significant economic and social progress did so through deliberate investments in human capital, particularly in education and healthcare.
He expressed satisfaction with the progress made by the institution since his previous intervention, especially the development of its computer laboratory, which he had earlier supported.
The former governor also reflected on similar interventions in Iyi-Enu Mission Hospital and Borromeo Hospital, noting that both institutions had grown into teaching hospitals over time.
According to him, their transformation demonstrates the long-term impact of sustained investment in critical social infrastructure.
“I look forward to seeing Holy Rosary Hospital attain the same status,” he said.
Obi said Nigeria’s development challenges can only be addressed through functional institutions capable of producing competent professionals and creating opportunities for young people.
“Our vision must be to build a Nigeria where functional institutions produce competent professionals, where investments are directed to critical sectors that lift people out of poverty, and where every child, regardless of background, has the opportunity to succeed,” he stated.
He added that the country’s future depends on creating a system where merit, hard work and equal opportunity determine success rather than privilege or personal connections.
“That is how we will build a nation where the son of nobody can become somebody without knowing anybody,” Obi said.