Biography of Mr Peter Obi, career achievements, politics, net worth

In this post, News360 Nigeria chronicles the biography and career achievements of Nigerian politician, Peter Obi.

Peter Obi is a successful business expert and Politician who was the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections.

He is a graduate of the Lagos Business school and the London school of Economics.

Profile Overview

Name: Peter Gregory Onwubuasi Obi,CON

Date of birth: July 19th, 1961

Tribe: Igbo

State of origin: Anambra State, Nigeria

Education: University of Nigeria

Spouse: Margaret Obi

Religion: Christianity

Career: Politician, Businessman

Birth

Peter Gregory Onwubuasi Obi hails from Anambra State in Southeastern Nigeria and was born on19th July 1961.

Education

Peter schooled at Christ the King college in Onitsha before he was admitted into the university of Nigeria, Nsukka where he obtained a degree in philosophy in 1984.

He also attended top business schools such as the Lagos business school, Nigeria, London school of economics, Columbia Southwest School in New York,USA, the Harvard Business School in Boston, Massachusetts, Institute for management development in Switzerland, George business School at Cambridge University and the Kellogg graduate school of management in the United States.

Private life

Peter Obi is a Christian and he is happily married to Mrs Magaret Brownson Obi, together they both have two children, a boy and a girl who is happily married.

Peter Obi with his wife and children

Career

Being raised in a trading family, Obi started his career as a trader and a banker before moving into the world of politics.

He held leadership positions in some private establishments.

Some of the companies he served include: Next International Nigeria Ltd, Chairman and Director of Guardian Express Mortgage Bank Ltd, Guardian Express Bank Plc, Future View Securities Ltd, Paymaster Nigeria Ltd, Chams Nigeria Ltd, Data Corp Ltd and Card Centre Ltd and was also the youngest chairman of Fidelity Bank Plc as at the time.

Politics

In 2003, Peter Obi ran as a candidate for governor of Anambra State on behalf of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), but the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Chris Ngige of the People’s Democratic Party the winner.

On March 17, 2006, Obi became the state’s governor. After only seven months in office, he was impeached by the state house of assembly on November 2nd, 2006, and Virginia Etiaba, his deputy, who later became Nigeria’s first female governor, took over the following day.

The Court of Appeal in Enugu reinstated Obi as governor on February 9, 2007, after he successfully challenged his impeachment.

On May 29th, 2007, Obi left the government after Andy Uba won the general elections. Returning to court, Obi contended that his four-year term, which he had won in the 2003 elections, had barely begun when he assumed office in March 2006.

On June 14, 2007, the Nigerian Supreme Court upheld Obi’s claim and ruled out Andy Uba’s victory and reinstated Obi.

The Independent National Electoral Commission proclaimed Obi the victor of the 2010 Anambra State governor’s race on February 7, 2010, after he defeated former CBN governor Professor Charles Chukuma Soludo.

He became the governor of Anambra state for four years as a result of this triumph and on 17th March, 2014 Obi served out his second tenure and handed over the governorship to Willie Obiano.

He gained new status as an advocate for good governance and national political figure after decamping to the Peoples Democratic party.

Obi was appointed as the chairman of the Nigerian Security and Exchange Commission in 2015 by president Goodluck Jonathan after the 2015 General Election.

On 12th October 2018, Peter Obi was named as the running mate to Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party’s Presidential Candidate in the 2019 presidential election.

As a vice presidential candidate, Obi argued that various states ought to have their own minimum wages and opposed plans for a uniform federal minimum wage.

Obi gained popularity in 2022 when he announced that he intended to run for president in 2023 under the banner of the People’s Democratic Party.

However, he later resigned and registered with the Labour Party, and as a result of his political involvement and business background, hebreceived lots of support from young Nigerians but he later lost the presidential election to the All Progressives Congress candidate, Nola Ahmed Tinubu.

Net worth

With a substantial net worth of over $10 million, Peter Obi has established himself as a successful businessman as well as a wealthy politician in Nigeria.

Awards

2015: Won the Golden Jubilee Award by Catholic Diocese of Onitsha.

2014: Won the Golden Merit Award by the Nigerian Library Association.

2014:Won the Most Outstanding Igbo Man of the Decade by the Champion Newspaper.

2014: Won the Award for Outstanding Example in Leadership and Governance by the The Voice Newspaper.

2013: Won the Man of the Year award by silverbird.

2012: Won the Man of the Year by the Business Hallmark Newspaper .

2012: Won the Golden Award on Prudence by the Methodist Church of Nigeria.

2012: Won the Leadership and Good Governance Award by the Ezeife Leadership Foundation.

2012: Won the Best Performing Governor on Immunization in South-East Nigeria by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

2011: Zik Leadership Prize by Zik.

2010: Won the Governor of the Year by the West Africa ICT Development Award.

2009: Won the Nigeria’s Most Trustworthy Governor by the Champion Newspaper.

2009: Won the Most Prudent Governor in Nigeria by This Newspaper.

2007: Won the Man of the Year award by the Sun Newspaper.