Nearly a Decade Later, Peter Obi’s Educational Legacy Resonates Beyond Borders

In a nation where political grandstanding often overshadows genuine governance, Peter Obi’s eight-year tenure as governor of Anambra State (2006–2014) in southeastern Nigeria stood out as a radically different model—quiet, methodical, and firmly anchored in measurable outcomes. Unlike the flamboyant theatrics typical of Nigeria’s political class, Obi’s approach was marked by corporate discipline, evidence-based strategy, and a minimalist style of self-promotion. Yet, this unassuming governance style yielded one of the most transformational legacies in modern Nigerian statecraft.

Despite persistent and unfounded claims from opposition forces alleging that Obi failed to construct a single classroom or new school during his tenure, the facts tell a strikingly different story. Obi’s administration spearheaded an unprecedented infrastructure drive, building new classroom blocks and improving facilities in schools across every one of Anambra’s 177 communities.

These investments were far from superficial. They laid the essential foundation for an educational renaissance that propelled Anambra from the bottom tier to the pinnacle of national academic rankings. Obi’s unwavering commitment to rebuilding and modernizing educational infrastructure remains a cornerstone of his legacy—an enduring rebuttal to the baseless narratives pushed by detractors.

 A State in Disrepair

When Peter Obi took office, Anambra was a state in disarray. Political instability, infrastructural decay, insecurity and widespread inefficiency had crippled basic governance. Public schools were failing, hospitals were in disrepair, and the state bureaucracy operated with minimal transparency. For many, Anambra symbolized the dysfunction endemic to Nigeria’s federal system.

But Obi, a former banker and technocrat, approached governance with the rigor of a corporate turnaround strategist. He prioritized fiscal responsibility, long-term planning, and strategic partnerships—an approach that soon began to bear fruit.

 Returning Schools to the Missions

One of Obi’s boldest and most consequential moves came early in his tenure: the return of public schools to their original mission owners—the Catholic and Anglican churches. These institutions had a long-standing legacy of educational excellence before their schools were seized by the State decades earlier. Obi saw in them not just nostalgia, but potential.

The policy was neither a divestment nor a dereliction of duty. The government retained financial commitments, including salaries and capital grants, while the missions took charge of school administration, discipline, and curriculum oversight.

The impact was swift and dramatic. In just a few years, Anambra surged from 24th to 1st place in national examination rankings (WAEC and NECO), holding that position for three consecutive years. The World Bank took notice, commissioning a study led by Oxford economist Paul Collier that hailed the model as a blueprint for African educational development.

What Obi achieved was more than a bureaucratic fix—it was a cultural reset. By reinvesting authority in mission schools, he restored a sense of community ownership and moral purpose in education. The results were indisputable, and the reverberations are still felt today.

 If the return to mission schools was a nod to the past, Obi’s digital revolution was a leap into the future. In a country where many public schools lacked even basic amenities, Obi’s administration distributed over 30,000 computers to secondary schools—22,500 of them supplied by Hewlett-Packard. HP officials described it as the largest single educational deployment of their products in the Middle East and Africa at the time.

420 Pekings 30KVA generators were also donated to all the schools in the state. Galaxy Backbone was paid to  install internet in the schools. Complementing this digital investment, Microsoft Academies were established in 500 secondary schools, providing students and teachers access to internationally recognized ICT curricula and certifications. Internet connectivity, almost non-existent in most public schools in Nigeria, became a norm in Anambra’s classrooms.

This was not mere gadgetry. It was a deliberate, strategic move to equip students for the global knowledge economy. By democratizing access to technology, Obi sought to level the playing field and prepare Anambra’s youth for a future that would be defined by digital literacy.

Infrastructure that Supports Learning

Understanding that education thrives only in conducive environments, Obi backed his technology investment with sweeping infrastructural reforms. His government distributed over 700 school buses to facilitate safe student transportation across the state. Boreholes were drilled in schools to address water scarcity, and classroom blocks were constructed in all of Anambra’s 177 communities—ensuring no locality was left behind.

These improvements did more than enhance learning; they redefined what public education could look like. The global recognition was soon to follow. One of the state’s mission schools, Regina Pacis Secondary School, won the Technovation Gold Award in Silicon Valley, besting competitors from some of the world’s most advanced tech hubs.

₦100 million grants to Private Universities

In a move rarely seen in Nigerian governance, Obi extended significant support to private universities in Anambra. Each received a ₦100 million grant, an 18-seater bus, and a security vehicle. Beneficiaries included Madonna University, Tansian University, Paul University, Peter University, Legacy University, and then proposed Shanahan University. Federal College of Education Nsugbe, Anambra College of Education Umunze also received Obi’s supports to improve in their infrastructures.

For Obi, the rationale was clear: education, regardless of the ownership model, is a public good when it serves the collective development of society.

“Whether the school is owned by government or mission, private or public, the students are all Anambra children,” Obi said at a disbursement event. “We must support them equally to secure our collective future.”

He applied the same principle to high-performing private primary and secondary schools. Those with demonstrated excellence including Federal Science and Technical College (FSTC) Awka received million in grants, 10 HP Pavilion laptops, and 15KVA Perkins Generators to ensure uninterrupted learning—a lifeline in Nigeria’s chronically power-starved environment.

These incentive-driven policies created a culture of meritocracy in the education sector, motivating both public and private institutions to compete on quality rather than connections.

Obi’s education reforms drew much of the spotlight, but his healthcare investments were no less transformative. He upgraded the Onitsha General Hospital, transforming it from a derelict shell into a functional urban health center. He also modernized and funded mission-run facilities and Nursing Schools like Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Ihiala, Iyienu Mission Hospital in Ogidi, and the School of Nursing in Nnokwa.

Under his leadership, the Anambra State University Teaching Hospital was established in Awka, providing both a training ground for medical students and a much-needed tertiary health facility for residents. Federal institutions such as Nnamdi Azikiwe University (Mr. Obi donated N100 million, 50KVA electricity generator and four buses to the institution) and its teaching hospital in Nnewi also received state support, including infrastructure upgrades and improved lab facilities.

This public-private hybrid model reflected Obi’s broader philosophy: services must be efficient, inclusive, and free from bureaucratic paralysis, regardless of who runs them.

Building Universities

Obi also left a permanent mark on higher education. He relocated the main campus of Anambra State University to Igbariam, where he spearheaded the construction of modern lecture halls, laboratories, and administrative blocks. The result was a vibrant academic hub in a previously overlooked rural region—transforming not just the school, but the surrounding communities.

At the Uli campus, engineering faculties were expanded with new facilities to accommodate a growing student population. These infrastructure projects were not just capital expenditures—they were targeted investments in human capital development.

Investing in Minds—and Their Futures

Obi’s commitment to excellence went beyond institutional reforms. He was one of the few governors in Nigeria to directly incentivize academic brilliance.

Every graduate from Anambra’s state universities who achieved a First Class degree was awarded a non-refundable ₦1 million grant by the state government. These were not symbolic cheques—they were investments in human capital. Many recipients used the funds to further their studies or launch careers.

But Obi didn’t stop there. Dozens of these high-achieving students were awarded full scholarships for postgraduate studies—Master’s and Doctorate degrees—in top universities both in Nigeria and abroad. This merit-driven support system created a pipeline of highly skilled professionals in academia, technology, and medicine.

In a further gesture of inclusive governance, Obi’s administration automatically offered civil service employment to tens physically challenged university graduates. It was a deeply symbolic move in a society where disability often equates to systemic exclusion. For Obi, social equity was not an afterthought—it was central to his development philosophy.

A Governance Model Rooted in Prudence

At the core of Peter Obi’s governance was fiscal prudence. Throughout his administration, he resisted the urge to borrow recklessly or initiate flashy, unsustainable projects. Instead, he focused on projects with long-term impact, ensuring that every naira spent had clear developmental value.

He left office without owing civil servants or contractors, a feat almost unheard of in Nigeria’s state-level governance. More remarkably, he left behind over ₦100 billion in savings and investments for his successor—funds kept in dollars and naira, in both local banks and federal assets.

Obi’s philosophy of governance was striking in its simplicity: cut waste, prioritize human development, and build institutions rather than empires.

A Legacy That Resonates Beyond Borders

Today, nearly a decade after leaving office, Peter Obi’s legacy in Anambra remains a reference point for reform-minded politicians across Africa. His tenure demonstrates that even within a system riddled with corruption, inefficiency, and cynicism, it is possible to deliver public service that is transparent, effective, and profoundly impactful.

His blend of cultural sensitivity—seen in the return to mission schools—with technological modernization and fiscal discipline created a template for developmental governance in the Global South. Anambra under Obi didn’t just climb the education rankings; it produced students capable of competing and winning on the world stage.

In a political culture often driven by optics and short-term populism, Obi’s quiet revolution stands out not just for what it achieved, but how it was achieved: systematically, inclusively, and without fanfare.

Nigeria remains a nation hungry for reform. Its institutions are fragile, its social contract frayed, and its youth disillusioned. In this context, Peter Obi’s tenure offers more than nostalgia; it offers a roadmap. It suggests that the antidote to decades of dysfunction is not necessarily a charismatic strongman or a populist firebrand—but a disciplined reformer willing to do the unglamorous work of rebuilding systems.

Obi’s story is a reminder that transformation doesn’t always arrive with fanfare. Sometimes, it comes quietly—through careful planning, targeted investment, and a refusal to play politics as usual.

And in that quiet, the seeds of a revolution are sown.

• Okorie is based in Nnewi, Anambra State since 1995 till date 07066994499