Labour Party standard bearer in the 2023 Presidential election, Mr Peter Obi, commands the respect of two outstanding global citizens, former UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon and ICT billionaire, Bill Gates.

Here is how it happened: After the bombing of UNDP building in Abuja, Mr. Peter Obi as the Governor of Anambra State offered them the use of Anambra Lodge free of charge.

Some tongues wagged on the wisdom or otherwise of not collecting rent from them.

When the then UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon visited Nigeria, Obi was the only Governor that had one-on-one with him.

It was then that the UN scribe disclosed that Mr. Kofi Annan, his predecessor, was the first person that told him about Obi.

It was gathered that there was a subtle instruction that Anambra should be the number one in all UNDP programmes in Nigeria. By the time Obi left office, Anambra State had gained 10 folds what it lost from not collecting rent for the lodge.

The last time Obi met Bill Gates, the global philanthropist and ICT billionaire encouraged him not to relent in his efforts to improve his society. He remembers Obi’s exploits as the Governor of Anambra State and said to him that his type was needed for leadership.

Bill Gates under the auspices of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation had in a letter dated March 20, 2013 commended Obi for his healthcare and sustainable development efforts as Governor leading to Anambra being adjudged as Best Performing State in the South East in the 2012 Nigeria Governors’ Immunization Leadership Challenge.

Gates thanked Obi for his commitment to uplifting society and for his devotion to “improving the lives of Nigerian children.”