Peter Obi, a notable advocate for impactful development, health, education, and poverty alleviation, made a significant donation of N50 million to the University on the Niger (UNINIGER), Umunya, during a recent visit to their Iyi-Enu take-off campus.

Additionally, Obi extended his support to the Iyienu Mission Hospital’s School of Nursing in Ogidi, contributing another N10 million.

Obi emphasized his perspective on financial aid to sectors like health, education, and poverty reduction, stressing that such funds are not merely expenditures but crucial investments in Nigeria’s future.

He called out the continued neglect of the health and education sectors, which suffer from underfunding, infrastructural challenges, and a lack of governmental focus, resulting in long-lasting negative effects on citizens and the country as a whole.

In particular, the health sector is in a dire state, plagued by a shortage of medical professionals and an ongoing gap in infrastructure.

Obi noted that Nigeria’s current ratio of doctors and nurses falls significantly below the standards recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), highlighting the urgent need to bridge this gap.

The lack of healthcare personnel, Obi stressed, is a critical concern impacting Nigeria’s health system and, consequently, the well-being of countless Nigerians.

This shortage of healthcare professionals has led to compromised patient care, particularly in rural areas, where medical resources are already scarce.

Obi argued that the only sustainable solution lies in intensifying investment in the training and development of healthcare professionals nationwide.

Without a structured approach to training doctors, nurses, and other medical staff, Obi believes the gap will only widen, further straining the health sector.

In thanking the Proprietor, Management, Staff, and Students of both institutions, he acknowledged their vital roles in strengthening Nigeria’s health and education sectors and encouraged them to persist in their efforts.

Peter Obi’s optimism for a “New Nigeria” remains undeterred.

He expressed his confidence that these “sacrificial investments” would eventually bring about significant change, creating a foundation upon which future development can be built

The Cheetahs of Benin, under head coach Gernot Rohr, have announced a 24-man squad for their crucial 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Nigeria and Libya.

The squad includes key players like goalkeeper Saturnin Allagbe, Olivier Verdon, and Junior Olaitan, along with captain Steve Mounie, Jodel Dossou, and Aiyegun Tosin.

Benin will face Nigeria’s Super Eagles on November 14 at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan, before traveling for an away match against Libya’s Mediterranean Knights on November 18.

Currently, Benin sits second in Group D with six points from four games, aiming to secure qualification with these upcoming fixtures.

Nigeria’s ambitious target of providing at least 20 hours of electricity daily by 2027 hinges on a significant boost in investments, especially in the oil and gas sectors.

Olu Verheijen, Special Adviser on Energy to President Bola Tinubu, recently underscored this at the Africa Energy Week in Cape Town, South Africa.

In a statement released by Abiodun Oladunjoye, the State House Director of Information and Publicity, Verheijen detailed the federal government’s plans to revitalize Nigeria’s power sector and improve electricity access for Nigerians.

Currently, Nigeria’s power grid is plagued by challenges, with its most recent collapse marking the 10th outage since the start of 2024.

The government has attributed these frequent failures to outdated infrastructure, a lack of regular maintenance, and chronic underinvestment.

Despite Nigeria’s impressive installed capacity of about 12,500 megawatts, only a fraction of this power is regularly generated, leaving vast areas of the country without stable electricity.

Verheijen noted that Nigeria is pushing to provide consistent power to urban and industrial areas as a cornerstone of economic development.

The government has a range of initiatives aimed at addressing these challenges.

For example, revenue collection reforms are underway to increase accountability, along with the deployment of seven million smart meters to minimize energy losses.

Additionally, there are plans to expand off-grid solutions to ensure remote communities have access to electricity, which will help bridge the gap in underserved regions.

Verheijen emphasized that recent macroeconomic reforms, including the removal of the petrol subsidy and foreign exchange liberalization, signal Nigeria’s readiness for a new era of growth.

She urged foreign investors to see these changes as an open invitation to partner with Nigeria, mentioning that the Tinubu administration is actively pursuing policies to attract investment.

As part of the broader Presidential Gas for Growth Initiative, the government is focusing on midstream and downstream investments, including in compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), and electric vehicles.

The administration aims to reduce dependency on petrol and diesel, particularly in transport, decentralized power generation, and cooking, while fostering demand for cleaner alternatives like electric vehicles.

While discussing Nigeria’s oil and gas potential, Verheijen compared the country’s performance to that of Brazil, which has managed to produce 131 percent more oil than Nigeria, despite having only 30 percent of its oil reserves.

This gap, she argued, is largely due to underinvestment.

She lamented the fact that since 2016, Nigeria has attracted only 4 percent of Africa’s oil and gas investments, whereas other, less resource-rich African nations have managed to capture a larger share of investor interest.

To reverse this trend, the Tinubu administration is implementing reforms aimed at making Nigeria’s oil and gas sector more competitive.

For the first time since the beginning of deepwater exploration in 1991, Nigeria is introducing a specific fiscal framework for deepwater gas projects, as well as incentives to stimulate investment in non-associated gas production.

Verheijen noted that these new policies are designed to increase investor confidence and unlock Nigeria’s potential, enabling international oil companies to bring more capital to Nigeria’s shores.