By Abraham Olatokunbo
A lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication at Tansian University, Umunya, Anambra State, Mr. Nze U. Nze, has described the Vice Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2019 general elections, Mr. Peter Obi, as a “true, tried and tested change agent.”
Nze was speaking Friday at the university during the Public Presentation of his award-winning book titled: “Okuko Sakata Usa Nkata Ekpudo ya”.
Nze, who recalled the N1 million Obi gave to all the First Class graduates, numbering over 500, of which he was a beneficiary, said the grant helped many of them to realize their dreams of furthering their education.
In his words, “I can assure you that many of us are teaching in different higher institutions across the country and some gainfully employed by good organisations and corporate bodies. We are all fulfilled.”
Commending what he called Obi’s sense of propriety, he said: “You did not give money to individuals, but as the Governor, everybody now appreciates the fact that you used the resources of the state to work for the state and to build the Human Resources.”
Speaking at the event, Obi recalled how he visited a hospital and was greeted by a nurse who happily introduced herself as a former student of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, when Obi was massively supporting the upgrade of the Institution which enabled its School of Nursing, Laboratory Technology and Midwifery to gain accreditation.
“Likewise,” Obi continued, “one medical doctor I met recently also said he was able to graduate from Chukwuemeka-Odumegwu University after my administration secured accreditation of the University’s Teaching Hospital.
Obi said that the two encounters, as well as the book presentation by a lecturer that benefitted from the state’s recognition of their achievements were what give him joy and fulfillment and not attending birthday or related epicurean parties, where people display their limited perspective of life by displaying affluence.
Obi said he was particularly delighted that Mr. Nze wrote in Igbo language and that his work won the First Prize in the 2021 Nigeria National Award for Creative Writing in Indigenous Language.
He used the opportunity to lament the increasing abandonment of Igbo language to the point that even a bricklayer in the village now speaks English to his children.
He said it was because of the ugly situation that he supported the “Subakwa Igbo” group, offered automatic employment to Igbo Language graduates and gave out all manners of scholarships on Igbo Language.
Obi said that the situation was more alarming today and actually calls for the meeting of stakeholders to come up with drastic measures to stem the ugly tide.
The students of the school expressed appreciation to Obi for the N100 million he gave to their school that enabled them tar the entrance road to the school and for the school bus and other amenities they benefitted under Obi’s administration.
