A viral post made on Twitter by one Prince Ujay has been shared on other platforms including Facebook, claiming that former governor of Anambra State and Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, won Bill and Melinda Gates’ award for best governor in 2013 and built 10 hospitals.
The post read: “Are you aware that on July 6, 2013, Peter Obi won the Bill Gates and Melinda Award as the best Governor in Nigeria? And used the money to build 10 hospitals! Go and verify!” #PeterObi2023″.
According to the tweet, Obi disclosed at a flag-off of the National Obstetric Fistula Repair Programme at the Anambra State University Teaching Hospital, Akwa that he had matched the $1 million grant with N120m to execute the project.
Verification
Checks by Daily Trust revealed that Obi was not named the best Governor in Nigeria by Bill and Melinda Gates in 2013.
However, he won the award for best performing governor on the eradication of polio in the South East and got $1m grant.
Obi in several interviews pointed out that the state would add N120m to the $1m grant to build 10 maternities in the rural parts of the state, build a hostel block at the teaching hospital for medical students and use it for fumigation exercise to fight malaria.
A comment under the tweet read, “A million dollars to build ten hospitals? Haba! Stop trying to sabotage our combined effort by exaggerating stuffs. He is good and commendable for all his hard work. Please, you don’t need to falsify the achievements of an achiever.”
Conclusion
While Obi did promise to build 10 hospitals with the funds, Daily Trust could not independently verify whether he actually built them before he left office. The post is also misleading by claiming that Obi was recognised as the best governor in 2013 by Bill and Melinda Gates.
This fact check was done in partnership with the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD)
