Photo: Mr Peter Obi
By: Daniel Kanu
Editor
Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, has recounted a troubling personal experience that, according to him, underscores the deep-rooted failures of Nigeria’s healthcare system, insisting that the country’s challenges stem from poor governance rather than a lack of resources.
In a post shared on his official X (formerly Twitter) account on Tuesday, Obi narrated a conversation he had with a young Nigerian-American nurse during a domestic flight from Owerri to Lagos.
The interaction occurred on January 4, following his engagements in Ughelli, Delta State, and Mgbidi, Imo State. Obi said he sat beside a 24-year-old nursing school graduate, Chidera Ugwokeba, who was visiting Nigeria for the first time with her parents aboard an Air Peace flight.
According to Obi, the nurse expressed shock and disappointment at the state of basic public services in the country, particularly the healthcare sector. She reportedly shared a distressing experience involving her sister, who sustained a household injury and was rushed to what was regarded as the best government-owned hospital in the area.
Despite the severity of the injury and visible bleeding, hospital staff allegedly declined to provide treatment until payment was made. The family was also reportedly shown other patients in critical condition who were left unattended due to their inability to pay.
Obi further disclosed that after payment was eventually made, the nurse observed that the hospital had only one blood-testing machine for all patients, which was allegedly not sterilised between uses. When concerns were raised, hospital staff reportedly warned the family to stop asking questions if they wanted the treatment to continue. Even then, the family was still required to purchase all necessary medical supplies.
The former Anambra State governor said the nurse noted that such practices were at odds with her professional training abroad, where patients are treated before payment is discussed. She also revealed that while her family had contemplated launching a GoFundMe campaign to support healthcare in Nigeria, relatives discouraged the move over fears of corruption and mismanagement.
Obi said the conversation became more emotional when the nurse mentioned the recent death of boxer Gabriel Oluwasegun Olanrewaju, popularly known as “Success,” suggesting that the lack of functional ambulances may have prevented him from receiving timely medical attention.
“She questioned whether Nigeria was simply a poor country,” Obi said, adding that despite her concerns, the nurse expressed willingness to volunteer her services and help mobilise resources to improve the system.
In response, Obi said he assured her that Nigeria is richly endowed but suffers from a leadership deficit marked by misplaced priorities. He argued that the collapse of essential services is a result of poor governance, not poverty.
To buttress his position, Obi cited figures indicating that a standard ambulance costs about ₦150 million, noting that the ₦60 billion reportedly spent on refurbishing the National Conference Centre and rebuilding the Vice President’s residence could have procured about 400 ambulances nationwide. He added that the alleged ₦300 billion expenditure on an additional presidential jet could have funded the construction of over 4,000 primary healthcare centres across the country.
Obi concluded by urging Nigerians to rise above ethnic, religious, and political divisions and collectively demand leadership anchored on competence, capacity, compassion, and transparency.
