Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, has highlighted the potential impact of the $5 million allegedly spent by Farouk Ahmed, former CEO of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), on his children’s education abroad.

In a post on his X handle, Obi stated that this amount could significantly reduce the number of out-of-school children in Nigeria. He emphasized that while education is a valuable investment, the scale and context of such spending by a public official in a country with extreme inequality raise questions of proportionality and moral responsibility.

Obi provided examples of what the ₦7.5 billion ($5 million) could achieve:

– Build 25 school blocks, educating 6,000 children annually
– Employ 450 teachers
– Create a self-sustaining education ecosystem with invested funds covering maintenance, materials, and future expenses

He stressed that the issue is not the value of education but the disparity in resource allocation, urging consideration of the broader societal impact.