ABUJA, Nigeria – A major humanitarian row has broken out after the Borno State government allegedly blocked Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, from personally delivering educational equipment to the Government Secondary School in Chibok.
A School in Decay
The controversy began when community leaders and activist Aisha Yesufu highlighted the dire conditions at the school, which gained global infamy following the 2014 mass abduction of schoolgirls. Despite its history, the institution reportedly possessed only one functioning computer to serve a student population of over 2,500.
Responding to a direct appeal for help, Peter Obi procured 10 laptops and three high-capacity printers, along with plans to fund a new science laboratory and solar power system. However, his efforts to deliver the items directly to the school were reportedly thwarted by state authorities, who refused to grant clearance for the visit.
Frustrated Logistics and State Pressure
The standoff escalated when alternative arrangements were also blocked. Reports indicate that attempts to deliver the equipment in Maiduguri were rejected, and a plan to have students and staff travel to Abuja to receive the donation was allegedly stopped by the state’s education ministry.
Further complicating the matter are reports that the school’s principal has been served an official query and faced an abrupt transfer. Sources within the community suggest this was a punitive measure for “embarrassing the government” by exposing the lack of basic learning tools at the facility.
The Abuja Handover
Unable to reach Chibok, Peter Obi eventually hosted a delegation of Chibok community leaders in Abuja on April 23, 2026. During the meeting, he handed over the laptops, printers, and a ₦6 million cash donation intended for a borehole and laboratory equipment.
Obi used the occasion to slam the current administration’s spending, specifically contrasting the ₦39 billion earmarked for the renovation of the International Conference Centre (ICC) in Abuja with the derelict state of the Chibok school. “You cannot justify spending billions on an event centre while children in the most vulnerable parts of this country have no chairs, no books, and no computers,” he told the delegation.
A Community Abandoned
For the people of Chibok, the incident has reinforced a sense of abandonment. While the state government maintains that all charitable interventions must follow “proper protocols” for security reasons, critics argue that the move was a blatant attempt to prevent a political rival from highlighting the government’s failure to provide basic amenities.
As of late April 2026, the donated equipment remains in Abuja with community leaders, while the Government Secondary School Chibok continues to operate under the same “logistical constraints” that triggered the appeal for help.
