Peter Obi Biography And Net Worth – Career Journey Of A Respected Politician

In this post, we will be talking about the biography of Peter Obi. Peter Gregory Obi is a politician and a successful businessman. He is a former governor of Anambra State who served for two terms. During his first term as Governor, he was impeached in November 2006 but was reinstated in February 2007. He was the youngest chairman of Fidelity Bank Plc and was the Chairman of Nigeria Security and Exchange Commission.

Biography, Net Worth, Background And Career Journey Of Peter Obi

Peter Obi Background

Peter Obi is fondly called “OKWUTE” meaning “ROCK”. He was born on 19th July, 1967 at Onitsha. He had his secondary school education at Christ the King College, Onitsha. In 1980, Peter proceeded to University of Nigeria, Nsukka where he graduated with a B.A (Hons) in Philosophy in 1984.

Afterwards, his love for academic took him outside the shore of Nigeria to Ivy league and Oxbridge schools. He is an alumna of Harvard Business School, Boston, USA; London School of Economics where he studied Financial Management/Business Policy; Columbia Business School, New York, USA (Marketing Management); Institute for Management and Development, Switzerland; Kellogg Graduate School of Management, USA, Oxford University and Cambridge.

Obi tied the knot with Margaret Brownson Usen in 1992 and they are blessed with two children: Gabriella Nwamaka Frances Obi and Gregory Peter Oseloka Obi.

Peter Obi Political Career

In 2003, Peter contested for Anambra State governorship election under the platform of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). At the end of the election, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared his
opponent, Chris Ngige of People’s Democratic Party winner.

Peter Obi contested the result in court for almost three years. Eventually, Ngige’s victory was overturned by the court of appeal on 15 March, 2006. Obi then took over on 17 March, 2006. After seven months in office, the
state house of assembly impeached him, putting Virginia Etiaba, his deputy in his position. The event made Virginia Etiaba the first female governor in Nigeria’s history.

However, Peter Obi did not accept the status quo. He challenged his impeachment in the court of appeal and won. On 9 February 2007, he was re-instated as the Governor and Victoria Etiaba handed power back to him.

Read Also – Omoni Oboli – Biography And Net Worth

Political Career Contd

Again, Peter Obi left the governorship position on 29 May 2007 after the general elections, which Andy Uba won. As a determined elite, Obi contended the turn of events in court. He argued that he did not complete his four-year tenure and that his tenure started running when he took office in March 2006.

After Peter Obi’s first term, he contested again in the 2010 gubernatorial election and won. He defeated his opponent, Professor Charles Soludo, the former CBN governor. He remained the governor of Anambra for
another four years and later handed over to Willie Obiano in 2014 after his second term elapsed.

During the 2019 Presidential elections, Peter Obi was named the running mate to Atiku Abubakar, PDP’s Presidential candidate on October 12, 2018. Unfortunately, they lost to the incumbent President, Muhammadu Buhari.

Other Business And Career Interests

Before his adventure into politics, Peter Obi was already a successful businessman. He held high profile positions in several establishments. Some of the companies he served include:

Next International Nigeria Ltd
Guardian Express Mortgage Bank Ltd
Guardian Express Bank Plc
Future View Securities Ltd
Paymaster Nigeria Ltd
Chams Nigeria Ltd
Corp Ltd and Card Centre Ltd
In addition to the afore mentioned, he was appointed by former President Goodluck Jonathan as the Chairman of the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Peter Obi is also a member of Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), Nigerian Chartered Institute of Bankers, and British Institute of Directors (IOD).

Peter Obi Awards And Recognition

Man of the Year, Sun Newspaper, 2007
Most Prudent Governor in Nigeria, Thisday Newspaper, 2009
Nigeria’s Most Trustworthy Governor, Champion Newspaper, 2009
Governor of the Year, West Africa ICT Development Award, 2010
Zik Leadership Prize, 2011
Best Performing Governor on Immunization in South-East Nigeria, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, 2012
Leadership and Good Governance Award, Ezeife Leadership Foundation, 2012
Golden Award on Prudence, Methodist Church of Nigeria, 2012
Man of the Year, Business Hallmark Newspaper, 2012
Man of the Year, Silverbird, 2013
Award for Outstanding Example in Leadership and Governance, The Voice Newspaper, 2014
Most Outstanding Igbo Man of the Decade, Champion Newspaper, 2014
Golden Merit Award, Nigerian Library Association, 2014
Golden Jubilee Award, Catholic Diocese of Onitsha, 2015

Peter Obi Quotes

“If I sleep in a hotel and have to pay N250k a night, I will be awake all night…feeling like I was robbed”.

“To you young people, take back your country…it is your future they are toying with”.

“I reduced my convoy to 5 vehicles and you cannot buy fuel unless I am in the car”.

“I beg you to participate more in politics, the society we help them abuse today will take its revenge tomorrow”.

“You know there are many big men in Anambra state, so when they want to see me, I say to them I will come to you instead”.

“We handed schools back to Churches and by 2013, we were number one in WAEC.”

“If a man has not created wealth. He cannot manage wealth.”

“Unemployment is worsening. Our unemployment ratio moved from 14.8% in 2017 to 18.8% this year. This means that more people have lost their jobs. We can’t survive like this.”

“When you are borrowing for consumption, it gets to a stage when you cannot control it.”

“Nigerians cannot aim for skyscrapers when we cannot maintain simple toilets.”

Business Lessons From The Life Of Peter Obi

1. Prudence

Obviously, Peter Obi has received several awards for the way he manages personal and government fund. He is very frugal with spending; an attribute that shrewd businessmen posses.

If you really want your business to grow fast, you must learn how to reduce business expenses.

2. Knowledge

Another good attribute of Peter Obi is how knowledgeable he is. He is well-read and up to date about the laws of Nigeria. For instance, he was able to challenge the the result of 2003 general elections. Eventually, he was given his rightful position.

In business, having a good knowledge about your industry will help you fight for your right. Besides, your level of knowledge will determines the level of growth your business will experience.