By Ben Chukwu

If Peter Obi is stingy, why are Nigeria’s schools and hospitals so much richer because of him? For years, a lazy narrative has circulated in the Nigerian political space, fueled by those who equate leadership with “spraying” cash at rallies and maintaining bloated convoys.

They call Peter Obi stingy because he refuses to fund the lavish lifestyles of political godfathers or throw crumbs at a desperate electorate. But as we move through 2026, the data from the past two years has shattered that myth. The truth is now undeniable: Peter Obi is the highest-spending politician in Nigeria today.

The only difference is his choice of “beneficiaries. “Let the Questions Settle the Debate:

Who else is spending billions from their personal pocket?

In 2024 alone, Peter Obi committed over ₦1.5 billion to humanitarian causes. In 2025, his personal interventions crossed the ₦1 billion mark by mid-year. Show me another politician—without access to a government treasury or a security vote—who is deploying billions of their own wealth into the public square.

Is it “stinginess” to fund the future of healthcare?

In 2025, Obi did not spend on luxury SUVs; he spent ₦120 million (total cumulative) on the Annunciation Hospital College of Nursing in Enugu. He gave ₦20 million to the Godfrey Okoye University Teaching Hospital and ₦15 million to the Philomena College of Nursing in Benin. Is a man who builds hospitals “stingy,” or is he a visionary?

Is it “frugality” or “waste” that we should fear?

Critics mock his aversion to waste, yet it is that very prudence that allowed him to donate ₦50 million to Christ the King College (CKC), Onitsha, and ₦90 million to four different schools in Kaduna State within a single month. While others spend ₦100 million on a single birthday party, Obi spends it on the desks, labs, and books that will train the next generation of Nigerian scientists.

Prudence Is Not a Lack of Money; It Is a Presence of Character. The “characterless” logic of his detractors suggests that a leader must be wasteful to be seen as generous. They confuse patronage with philanthropy.

Peter Obi is a high spender—arguably the highest—on Human Capital. He understands a fundamental truth that escapes the “stomach infrastructure” brigade: You cannot build a New Nigeria by feeding people for a day; you build it by educating them for a lifetime.

The Real Tally…

Look at the ledger for 2024 and 2025:

₦1.5 Billion in 2024 for education and health.

₦576 Million in a six-month “social intervention” burst in 2025.

Hundreds of millions spread across the FCT, Kaduna, Cross River, and Edo.

Peter Obi is not stingy with Nigeria; he is stingy with waste. He is not frugal with the poor; he is frugal with the greed of the elite. New Nigeria is possible

*Chukwu, a surgeon, and Convener, Professionals for Good Governance and Social Justice PGGSJ), Director, COPDEM in Diaspora. Chairman, ADC-DN Middle East & Asia, writes from the UK