Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 general election, Peter Obi, has urged medical students seeking greener pastures overseas after their graduation to do so.
  
While donating N60 million to two higher institutions in Anambra State, the former governor of the state said if Nigeria is fixed, those who migrated abroad would return.
  
This was as the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) committed to guiding the development of targeted monkeypox (mpox) vaccine preparedness and deployment plans to ensure the efficient use of available doses.
  
Obi, yesterday, donated N50 million to Peter University in Achina/Onneh and N10 million to the School of Nursing Sciences, Adazi-Nnukwu.  Addressing students at the College of Nursing Sciences in Adazi-Nnukwu, he said: “It is my dedication to keep supporting institutions that nurture skill, professionalism and character.
  
“I was here in May this year to support you, and as I had told you, the support was to be done last year, but I couldn’t come because of electioneering, so I came in May. This is something I do every year, and today I’m here to give you my donation for this year. Those of us in public life should be able to earn public trust, and that is why I am here to do as I said.”

Earlier at Peter University, Obi encouraged the students to take their studies seriously, describing education as a transformative power that can form a pillar of national development.  He urged the students to pursue academic excellence, emphasising that an investment in education is an investment in the future.

WHO and Africa CDC’s decision was reached, last week, at a gathering of country representatives and partners in Brazzaville. The Africa CDC, in a statement, yesterday, noted that with anticipated mpox vaccine deliveries to Africa in the coming months, countries had requested support in identifying and mapping mpox hotspots based on local epidemiology and planning targeted vaccination strategies to reach populations at risk of mpox.
  
More than 120 participants from 17 countries, along with partners from GAVI (the Vaccine Alliance), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, United States Agency for International Development (UNSAID) and with support from Canada, attended the Regional Mpox Vaccine Preparedness and Deployment Plan Development meeting, which took place from November 5 to 7, 2024.
 
 “The regional meeting focused on support for Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Kenya, Nigeria, Republic of Congo, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
  
“During the meeting, WHO and Africa CDC experts provided countries with the most up-to-date information on WHO recommendations and a set of tools to guide the development of mpox vaccination plans.
  
“Both organisations made concerted efforts to help countries acquire vaccines amid ongoing outbreaks. WHO added the MVA-BN vaccine to its prequalification list on September 13, 2024, and established an Access and Allocation Mechanism to facilitate better access to vaccines, treatments and tests where they are most needed,” the statement said. About 899,000 mpox vaccine doses were allocated to nine African countries, including Nigeria, and another 5.85 million doses to the African region.