Peter Gregory Obi is a politician and a successful businessman. He is a former governor of Anambra State who served for two terms. During his first term as Governor, he was impeached in November 2006 but was reinstated in February 2007. He was the youngest chairman of Fidelity Bank Plc and was the Chairman of Nigeria Security and Exchange Commission.
See Also: Resources that will help you start, market and grow a sustainable business.
Peter Obi Background
Peter Obi is fondly called “OKWUTE” meaning “ROCK”. He was born on 19th July 1961 at Onitsha. He had his secondary school education at Christ the King College, Onitsha. In 1980, Peter proceeded to University of Nigeria, Nsukka where he graduated with a B.A (Hons) in Philosophy in 1984.
Afterwards, his love for academic took him outside the shore of Nigeria to Ivy league and Oxbridge schools. He is an alumna of Harvard Business School, Boston, USA; London School of Economics where he studied Financial Management/Business Policy; Columbia Business School, New York, USA (Marketing Management); Institute for Management and Development, Switzerland; Kellogg Graduate School of Management, USA, Oxford University and Cambridge.
Obi tied the knot with Margaret Brownson Usen in 1992 and they are blessed with two children: Gabriella Nwamaka Frances Obi and Gregory Peter Oseloka Obi.
Peter Obi Political Career
In 2003, Peter contested for Anambra State governorship election under the platform of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). At the end of the election, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared his
opponent, Chris Ngige of People’s Democratic Party winner.
Peter Obi contested the result in court for almost three years. Eventually, Ngige’s victory was overturned by the court of appeal on 15 March, 2006. Obi then took over on 17 March, 2006. After seven months in office, the
state house of assembly impeached him, putting Virginia Etiaba, his deputy in his position. The event made Virginia Etiaba the first female governor in Nigeria’s history.
However, Peter Obi did not accept the status quo. He challenged his impeachment in the court of appeal and won. On 9 February 2007, he was re-instated as the Governor and Victoria Etiaba handed power back to him.
Political Career Contd
Again, Peter Obi left the governorship position on 29 May 2007 after the general elections, which Andy Uba won. As a determined elite, Obi contended the turn of events in court. He argued that he did not complete his four-year tenure and that his tenure started running when he took office in March 2006.
After Peter Obi’s first term, he contested again in the 2010 gubernatorial election and won. He defeated his opponent, Professor Charles Soludo, the former CBN governor. He remained the governor of Anambra for
another four years and later handed over to Willie Obiano in 2014 after his second term elapsed.
During the 2019 Presidential elections, Peter Obi was named the running mate to Atiku Abubakar, PDP’s Presidential candidate on October 12, 2018. Unfortunately, they lost to the incumbent President, Muhammadu Buhari.
Other Business And Career Interests
Before his adventure into politics, Peter Obi was already a successful businessman. He held high profile positions in several establishments. Some of the companies he served include:
- Next International Nigeria Ltd
- Guardian Express Mortgage Bank Ltd
- Guardian Express Bank Plc
- Future View Securities Ltd
- Paymaster Nigeria Ltd
- Chams Nigeria Ltd
- Corp Ltd and Card Centre Ltd
In addition to the aforementioned, he was appointed by former President Goodluck Jonathan as the Chairman of the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Peter Obi is also a member of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), the Nigerian Chartered Institute of Bankers, and the British Institute of Directors (IOD).
Peter Obi Awards And Recognition
- Man of the Year, Sun Newspaper, 2007
- Most Prudent Governor in Nigeria, Thisday Newspaper, 2009
- Nigeria’s Most Trustworthy Governor, Champion Newspaper, 2009
- Governor of the Year, West Africa ICT Development Award, 2010
- Zik Leadership Prize, 2011
- Best Performing Governor on Immunization in South-East Nigeria, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, 2012
- Leadership and Good Governance Award, Ezeife Leadership Foundation, 2012
- Golden Award on Prudence, Methodist Church of Nigeria, 2012
- Man of the Year, Business Hallmark Newspaper, 2012
- Man of the Year, Silverbird, 2013
- Award for Outstanding Example in Leadership and Governance, The Voice Newspaper, 2014
- Most Outstanding Igbo Man of the Decade, Champion Newspaper, 2014
- Golden Merit Award, Nigerian Library Association, 2014
- Golden Jubilee Award, Catholic Diocese of Onitsha, 2015
Peter Obi Quotes
“If I sleep in a hotel and have to pay N250k a night, I will be awake all night…feeling like I was robbed”.
“To you young people, take back your country…it is your future they are toying with”.
“I reduced my convoy to 5 vehicles and you cannot buy fuel unless I am in the car”.
“I beg you to participate more in politics, the society we help them abuse today will take its revenge tomorrow”.
“You know there are many big men in Anambra state, so when they want to see me, I say to them I will come to you instead”.
“We handed schools back to Churches and by 2013, we were number one in WAEC.”
“If a man has not created wealth. He cannot manage wealth.”
“Unemployment is worsening. Our unemployment ratio moved from 14.8% in 2017 to 18.8% this year. This means that more people have lost their jobs. We can’t survive like this.”
“When you are borrowing for consumption, it gets to a stage when you cannot control it.”
“Nigerians cannot aim for skyscrapers when we cannot maintain simple toilets.”
Business Lessons From The Life Of Peter Obi
1. Prudence
Obviously, Peter Obi has received several awards for the way he manages personal and government funds. He is very frugal with spending; an attribute that shrewd businessmen possess.
If you really want your business to grow fast, you must learn how to reduce business expenses.
2. Knowledge
Another good attribute of Peter Obi is how knowledgeable he is. He is well-read and up to date about the laws of Nigeria. For instance, he was able to challenge the the result of 2003 general elections. Eventually, he was given his rightful position.
In business, having a good knowledge about your industry will help you fight for your right. Besides, your level of knowledge will determines the level of growth your business will experience.
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3 thoughts on “Peter Obi – Biography And Life Story Of A Respected Politician”
Good example
Keep moving in Jesus’ name
Please correct his date of birth, it’s 1961.
Thank you.