A former Anambra State governor and Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has revealed that he donated laptops and ₦6 million to the Government Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State.

This is the same school where over 200 schoolgirls were abducted by Boko Haram in 2014.

In a statement shared on his verified X handle on Wednesday, Obi said the donation was made following a call from activist Aisha Yesufu, who informed him that the school lacked basic facilities, including computers, laboratories and electricity.

“With a population of over 2,500, the school had only one desktop computer. Aisha Yesufu respectfully requested that I buy an additional two and help install solar lighting, even if it was only for the computer classroom.

“While I was trying to contact His Excellency, my brother Governor Zulum, to enable me to visit the school, I was advised against doing so due to security concerns,” he said.

He said Yesufu arranged a meeting with Chibok community leaders in Abuja.

At the meeting, Obi said he “presented them with 10 laptops and 3 printers as a start. I also donated the sum of ₦2 million each towards providing some items for the lab, the computer classroom, and a handheld motorised borehole, totalling ₦6 million. 

“I promised to do more and made it clear to them that what I was doing was not a donation, but a sincere commitment and a promise to the future of our community.”

He used the occasion to criticise misplaced priorities by the government.

“One wonders why we live in a nation where our students don’t have labs, books, or even pencils, while our leaders live in opulence, spending billions to renovate conference centres, build car parks, and furnish new lodges of international standards.

“I continue to plead on behalf of all of us that the time has come for self-examination. We must prioritise critical areas of development, education, healthcare, and pulling our people out of poverty,” he concluded.