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Archbishop Valerian Okeke has once again commended former Governor Peter Obi for his remarkable contributions to education in Anambra State. He spoke on Friday during a tour of selected mission schools in the company of Apostolic Nuncio Michael Francis Crotty, the Irish Ambassador to Nigeria, H.E. Peter Ryan, and others.
The tour followed a Mass held to commemorate the 140th anniversary of the arrival of Catholic missionaries in the eastern part of Nigeria. The entourage first visited Shanahan University to inspect ongoing construction work, a major educational project of the church. It then proceeded to Christ the King College (CKC), Onitsha, and Queen of the Rosary College (QRC), Onitsha, where Archbishop Crotty and Mr. Obi addressed and blessed the students.
Archbishop Okeke recounted how mission schools in the East, originally built and managed by the church, thrived in their early years. After the civil war, the church continued to maintain them, but 40 years ago, the government took over only the schools. Under government control, the schools declined significantly, with poor infrastructure and deteriorating academic standards.
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But when Peter Obi became governor, the church approached him, requesting the return of the schools, promising to rebuild and restore standards. In response, Mr. Obi returned all mission schools to church management, a move Archbishop Okeke described as “God’s intervention through a man who loves education.”
Within a year of the handover, Anambra rose from the bottom of national education rankings to number one. Mission schools under church management went on to win international academic competitions in Chicago, Canada, Malaysia, Singapore, and Zimbabwe for ten consecutive years. Archbishop Okeke praised Mr. Obi as the key figure behind this transformation, saying, “All thanks go to Peter Obi for restoring the glory of education in Anambra State.”
Reflecting on the journey, Mr. Obi said he would always thank God for the opportunity to serve. He prayed that the progress achieved in Anambra should continue to grow and be progressively better for the state and for the country at large.
