I know Peter Obi graduated with a 2:2, but let’s believe the APC propagandists for a second that he did graduate with a 3rd Class, I just want to school propagandists and other gullible Nigerians who’ve fallen for their lies.
The lies that Peter Obi graduated with 3rd class has to be one of the funniest arguments in this propaganda-driven political period.
Especially when it comes from people whose entire political ideology is built on propaganda, tribalism, and selective outrage.
The same people mocking Peter Obi’s degree are publicly supporting a man whose educational history has generated more controversy than some Nollywood movies.
You’re talking about Peter Obi’s degree?
The same Peter Obi whose school records, university records, classmates, business history, and public life are all publicly known?
The same Peter Obi who graduated from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, built successful businesses, became chairman of major banks, sat on the boards of multinational organizations, became governor, and remains one of the most scrutinized politicians in Nigeria?
That Peter Obi?
Let’s even assume, for a moment, that graduating with a 3rd Class automatically means someone isn’t intelligent.
Then how do you explain everything that happened after graduation?
Because life is the real examination hall.
And Peter Obi passed that examination with distinction.
While many people spend their entire careers trying to become branch managers, Peter Obi was already becoming a respected figure in corporate boardrooms.
Before politics, he served as:
- Chairman of Fidelity Bank Plc
- Chairman of Guardian Express Mortgage Bank
- Chairman of Future View Securities
- Chairman of Paymaster Nigeria Plc
- Chairman of Next International Nigeria Ltd
- Director of Chams Plc
- Director of Guardian Express Bank
- Director of Emerging Capital Ltd
- Director of Card Centre Plc
Think about that for a second.
Banks.
Financial institutions.
Investment firms.
Technology companies.
Corporate boards.
These aren’t places where leadership positions are handed out as gifts. These organizations manage billions of naira and answer to shareholders, regulators, auditors, and investors.
Yet they trusted Peter Obi with leadership responsibilities. But somehow, Facebook analysts have concluded that he’s not intelligent because of a result he got decades ago.
Also see: GOC Emekah Pledges Continued Army Support for Health Initiatives
What many people fail to understand is that a university degree measures your performance during a particular period of your life. Life itself measures value and Peter Obi has spent decades proving his value.
In fact, one of the most inspiring things about his story is that it destroys a lie many young Nigerians have been told.
The lie that if you don’t graduate with a First Class, your future is finished.
The lie that if you don’t study Medicine, Engineering, or Law, you can’t become successful.
Peter Obi studied Philosophy.
A course many Nigerians mock.
A course many parents discourage their children from studying.
Yet that Philosophy graduate went on to build businesses, lead corporations, become governor, run for president, and inspire millions of Nigerians.
That should be a lesson to every young person.
Your degree is important.
But what you do after graduation is even more important.
Ironically, many of the people mocking Peter Obi’s degree today are suffering under the government they defend.
Some have First Class degrees.
Some have Second Class Upper.
Some have Master’s degrees.
Some have professional certifications.
Yet they’re struggling to find decent jobs.
Not because Peter Obi graduated with a 3rd Class.
But because the politicians they defend have helped destroy the economy.
Imagine mocking a Philosophy graduate who became Chairman of Fidelity Bank while sitting unemployed because of policies implemented by the politicians you’re defending.
Now let’s talk about something many people conveniently ignore.
Peter Obi never stopped learning.
Long after university, he continued investing in education and leadership development.
He attended executive and leadership programmes at:
- Harvard Business School
- London School of Economics
- Columbia Business School
- Kellogg School of Management
- Oxford University Saïd Business School
- Cambridge University Judge Business School
- Institute for Management Development, Switzerland
- Lagos Business School
These are institutions respected around the world.
So while some politicians were busy accumulating power and wealth, Peter Obi was also investing in knowledge.
Yet some people want Nigerians to believe that a man who has spent decades learning, building businesses, creating jobs, leading institutions, and governing a state successfully is somehow unqualified because of a university result from decades ago.
The truth is simple.
If academic results alone determined leadership, Nigeria would already be heaven.
We have professors in politics.
We have PhD holders in politics.
We have people with First Class degrees in politics.
Yet look at the condition of the country.
Leadership is not about what happened in one examination hall decades ago.
Leadership is about competence.
Judgment.
Character.
Vision.
Results.
And whether you support Peter Obi or not, one thing nobody can take away from him is this:
He has spent his life producing results.
So the next time someone tells you Peter Obi graduated with a 3rd Class, tell them:
“Yes, and that 3rd Class graduate became chairman of banks, built successful businesses, governed Anambra State, attended some of the best business schools in the world, and inspired millions of Nigerians.”
The bigger question is:
What have those mocking him done with their own degrees?
Many Nigerians can’t even find jobs with their First Class and Second Class degrees because corrupt politicians and decades of bad leadership have made a mess of the country.
And some of the same professors, doctors, and highly educated elites we celebrate during election season are often the ones announcing questionable results that leave Nigerians wondering whether competence on paper truly translates to integrity in practice.
Because at the end of the day, Nigeria does not need a certificate president. Nigeria needs a competent president. And history has shown repeatedly that certificates alone do not build nations.
By the way, Peter Obi graduated with a 2:2, but APC propaganda came up with the 3rd Class propaganda to distract gullible Nigerians who care about degree over real life results and well rounded character, which is what Peter Obi has over BAT.
Iniobong Udoh
