Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general election, Mr Peter Obi, on Wednesday declared that humanity is bigger than politics.
The former governor of Anambra State, stated this in Benin, the Edo State capital where he went to seek the verification for Nursing graduates by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria.
Obi, who visited St. Philomena Midwifery and Nursing School in Benin, said he was not in Edo to talk about politics but to engage in humanitarian engagement he had been occupied with, even before becoming a governor.
He said, “I am not in Edo for politics. Humanity is bigger than politics and that is why I am here today. I have made donations to humanitarian causes in foreign countries.’
Obi who donated the sum of N10 million to the school as part of his contribution towards the health sector, said the country can only get out of its economic doldrums if the government invests more in health, education and human capital development.
The ex-LP presidential candidate said developed countries pay attention to health, education and their numerical strength to be designated to be developed, adding that such cannot be said of Nigeria at the moment.
He added, “It has been shown clearly, the three most critical measurements of development, is very simple – health, because that is where you have life expectancy. Good health is critical because the more healthy people are, the more productive they are. That is why they say ‘health is wealth.’
“The second is education and the third is pulling people out of poverty. If you get these three things right, you become developed.
“So, the more you invest in these three, the more developed you are. When we talk about governance, it is something that is as simple as A-B-C. You either invest in the critical areas that drive development, or not.”
He added, “With all due respect to the Nursing and Midwifery Council, it is a competitive verification of these young ones we are looking for.
“We are also looking for a proper authorisation to enable them to work anywhere globally, and irrespective of the population, we should be able to train them.
“All the government needs to do, if they think we have issue of brain drain in the health sector, is to invest in the nurses. We can do more investments, we can train them and give them opportunity to be able to work anywhere in the world.
“These kids need employment to earn good living and be able to support their families. We will help them to do that. That is why I am appealing that this verification exercise be done on time.”
Obi who said he has visited a total of 18 facilities to make some financial contributions, said he has other areas of financial commitment, adding that all hands must be on deck to rescue the country.
For his part, the Administrator of the St. Philomena Hospital and School, Rev. Fr. Jorome Idebe, commended the former governor for his donation towards the school project, assuring that the money would be judiciously used.