By Jude Atupulazi
The Anglican Archbishop of the Niger Province and Bishop of the Awka Diocese, His Grace, Most Rev. Dr. Alexander Ibezim, has reminded Mr. Peter Obi that, given his position and his principles, he will continue to face opposition from various quarters, even as the cleric assured Obi of his unwavering support in the form of prayers.
Archbishop Ibezim said while he might not physically fight for Obi, he remained on his knees in prayer, asking God to protect Obi and accomplish His divine plans for him. He called on others to join in the prayers, noting that when God kept Obi safe, both the common man and the institutions of the state were assured of safety.
The Archbishop made this statement, Saturday, January 18, during the presentation of a cheque for ₦30 million to Paul University, Awka, to support the continued improvement of the institution’s facilities.
Describing Mr. Peter Obi as a lover of Nigeria and a champion of the masses, the Archbishop said the History of the revival of education in Anambra State would be incomplete without recognising Obi’s contributions as Governor and his continued support thereafter.
He further informed Obi that Paul University had recently been granted a licence to offer Nursing programmes and expressed confidence that, given Obi’s passion for Nursing Education, he would extend his support to the new Programme.
Earlier, during the presentation of the cheque, Obi expressed his satisfaction with the progress being made at the University and commended the Archbishop for his outstanding work in transforming the institution. He explained that the cheque brought his total contribution to the university for 2024 to ₦50 million, noting that he had been unable to complete the donation within that year due to the unfortunate kidnapping of Archbishop Godwin Okpala (Rtd). Obi further assured the institution of continued support in 2025.
Prof. Chinyere Okunna, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Paul University, expressed her delight at being part of the event, especially given her special relationship with the institution. Playfully addressing Obi, she said, ‘As an institution that trained some of your aides, including Valentine Obienyem, I think you should show a little bias for this University over others.’
She emphasised the importance of Obi’s partnership, particularly with their new Nursing Programme.
After the cheque presentation, Archbishop Ibezim took Obi on a tour of some of the ongoing projects at the University and appealed to him to encourage his friends to also support the institution. He called on both the Federal and State Governments to assist missionary institutions, noting that the students they trained were all Nigerians contributing to national development.
The Vice-Chancellor of Paul University, Ven. Prof. Obiora Nwosu, expressed gratitude to Obi for his consistent support and encouraged him to feel at home whenever he visited the school. He assured him that the University would always welcome him warmly in the future.
The visit to Paul University capped a week of similar visits by Obi to two mission schools owned by the Anglican Church where he donated ten million Naira each for their infrastructural development. They are College of Health Sciences, Amichi; and ADCON College of Health Technology, Nnewi.
He had also paid a visit to the kidnapped retired Archbishop of Nnewi Anglican Church, His Grace, Godwin Okpala, who was released with his driver after three weeks. Okpala thanked Obi for his visit, describing him as a man of compassion, noting that he was the only high profile personality that had visited him.
Obi was accompanied in all the visits by his former Chief of Staff and Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, while the Governor of Anambra State, Prof Mrs Chinyere Okunna, who is now the Deputy Vice Chancellor of Paul University, Awka, Anambra State.
