Labour Party’s presidential candidate during the 2023 general election, Peter Obi has pledged to support the renovation of a public school in Abuja after visiting the LEA Nursery and Primary School, Kapwa, whose deplorable condition has drawn attention amid Minister Nyesom Wike’s ongoing campaign to upgrade public facilities in the Federal Capital Territory.
Obi pledged during a visit on Wednesday alongside Dr Moses Paul, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) chairmanship candidate for the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), after the duo inspected the school’s deteriorating infrastructure.
The former Anambra State governor said he was alarmed by the state of the facility, which lacks furniture for teachers, toilet facilities for pupils, and adequate classrooms for learning.
“It is deeply troubling that a school with over 200 children operates under such poor and inhumane conditions,” Obi said, promising to personally assist efforts to restore the school.
His comments came after FCT Minister Wike challenged his administration during his eight-year spell as Anambra State governor.
Wike had challenged Obi to compare his time as a former governor to his two-year spell in Abuja as a minister in terms of infrastructural development.
Wike also said opposition figures should back their criticisms of his administration’s urban renewal drive with direct action, particularly in supporting basic education and community projects across Abuja’s satellite towns.
Obi, in response, said his focus was not on politics but on people’s welfare, adding that investment in education is essential for national growth.
“The most important investment any nation can make is in its children. When we invest in basic education, we invest in our collective future,” he said.
He commended Dr Moses Paul for his grassroots engagement, describing him as an example of leadership rooted in empathy and service.
The Kapwa community, located on the outskirts of Abuja, has long suffered from inadequate school infrastructure, reflecting broader challenges across the FCT where rapid urban expansion has outpaced social amenities.
