Former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has donated ₦20 million to the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Calabar (UNICAL), pledging support for students facing infrastructural challenges.
Obi made the donation during a visit to the institution on Monday, following an appeal from the faculty over the weekend. The donation, he said, is aimed at addressing urgent needs, including the provision of dental chairs to aid students’ academic activities.
“I offered my commitment towards ensuring their education is not derailed,” Obi said in a statement posted after the visit. “I made a modest donation of ₦20 million to support the Faculty’s immediate requirements.”
His visit to UNICAL comes shortly after a similar engagement at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), where he also responded to a distress call from their Faculty of Dentistry.
Obi called on the federal government to intervene urgently and provide both financial and institutional support to Nigerian universities, particularly in sectors that affect education and healthcare.
“The government must prioritise critical areas of development — education, healthcare, and pulling people out of poverty,” he stated. “Students should not suffer for circumstances that are in no way their fault.”
He expressed gratitude to the university’s leadership, commending the Vice Chancellor and her team for their efforts in supporting the students amid the hardship.
“At this critical time in our nation, we must stop neglecting healthcare, education and lifting people out of poverty,” Obi added. “We must do better as a nation. Our children must not continue to lose their future in Nigeria.”
