Peter Obi laments Nigeria’s omission from Harvard programme

Labour Party (LP) chieftain Peter Obi has publicly expressed his dismay over Nigeria’s exclusion from the highly esteemed Harvard Business School (HBS) class of 2025 programme.

Obi contends that this omission starkly highlights the deteriorating global image of the nation.

On Wednesday, Obi issued a poignant statement underscoring the gravity of this exclusion.

“Nigeria’s negative image was on display as Harvard Business School’s class of 2025 programme has selected 16 countries for its global immersion course but notably excluded Nigeria, despite the program leader being a Nigerian professor,” he lamented.

The HBS programme is renowned for its mission to cultivate leadership skills, teamwork capabilities, and cross-cultural understanding through immersive experiences in various countries.

For its African segment, the programme has chosen Kenya, Rwanda, Morocco, and Ghana as its representatives.

Students have shown a strong preference for Nairobi, Kenya, where they will engage with local enterprises to address real-world challenges.

Obi, who was the Labour Party candidate in the 2023 presidential election, underscored the irony and disappointment of Nigeria’s exclusion, especially given the country’s significant potential and capabilities.

“Unfortunately, Nigeria’s reputation and attractiveness to international institutions and investors has recently been severely impacted by major obvious drawbacks,” he remarked.

Despite this setback, Obi remains optimistic that Nigeria will acknowledge these deficiencies and strive to enhance its global standing.

“The HBS class of 2025 programme demonstrates the power of collaboration and knowledge sharing between institutions and countries,” he noted, urging Nigeria to confront these challenges and work towards restoring its image on the international stage.