The Labour Party Presidential Candidate in 2023
general election, Mr Peter Obi, has donated N20 million to Godfrey Okoye
University Teaching Hospital, Enugu for their ongoing hospital project.
Obi said his support to nursing schools was for the
fact that Nigeria needed more than 1.2 million nurses to addresses shortage of
profession in the country’s hospitals.
Presenting the Cheque on Tuesday at the hospital
premise in Enugu, Obi said the world was going to have more than 30 million
shortages of nurses by the year 2030 if more attention was not given to the
sector.
He, however, urged the nursing students to be serious
with their studies, emphasising that the country would need their services
more.
“Already Nigeria needs about 1.2 million nurses as
they do not have enough registered nurses and therefore, you are on the right
call and should take it seriously as it is something that the world needs.
“We need to have you in our community hospitals which
are not working today because of shortage of manpower,” Obi said.
“A report from the World Bank this month showed that
poverty is worsening in Nigeria and UNICEF report showed that Nigeria is one of
the countries with more malnourished children and overtaken by India in infant
mortality,”.
This, he said, occurred because leaders abandoned
governance for something else instead of using the country’s resources to do
the right thing.
“Every month I have to support an institution like
this, I thank GOUNI for what they are doing and be rest assured that my visit
today is not the last but the beginning.
“I will continue to thank the voluntary agencies
especially the church for the wonderful work they are doing. Let me assure you
that I will be a supporter of this project
“What I am doing now is not politics but to move the
country forward and make it work,” Obi explained.
In a remark, the Catholic Bishop of Enugu Diocese,
Most Rev. Dr Callistus Onaga, lauded Obi for looking into the plights of others
especially the poor.
“We are happy that you are here and associating with
us. God will continue to protect you.
“This is not the only thing that you are doing; there
are other hospitals you are helping. What we are praying is that your dream of
Nigeria will come true,” Onaga prayed.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Vice Chancellor,
GOUNI, Prof. Christian Anieke, acknowledged that Obi had been helping the
institution even as the governor of Anambra State as well as attending its
lectures series.
He commended Obi for his contributions to the
university, saying, “Godfrey Okoye University must reciprocate this generosity
with a befitting academic recognition.
“You have done so much for this university and
Catholic Diocese of Enugu. We will support you as we owe our prayers to you,”
Anieke said.
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