Former Governor of Anambra State and Labour Party Presidential Candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, has expressed deep gratitude for the outpouring of goodwill and birthday wishes he received from across the globe as he marked his 64th birthday.

In a statement issued from Rome, Obi once again underscored his personal philosophy of eschewing lavish birthday celebrations in favour of redirecting resources to causes that uplift society.

Obi said: “I sincerely thank everyone for the outpouring of goodwill and birthday wishes I received worldwide. “I remain deeply grateful to all who marked the day in one way or another – especially Nigerian youths, the Obidient family, and members of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, known for their apostolate to the poor.”

Reiterating his longstanding stance on birthday celebrations, Obi noted that he has never celebrated birthdays in a personal or extravagant way.

He recounted how, during his tenure as Governor of Anambra State, institutions and individuals had made elaborate plans to mark his 50th birthday, but he redirected their goodwill towards community development.

“One institution offered to build me a house in my village, costing N120 million. I asked them instead to build classrooms in Agulu, Ekwulobia, and Abatete. They obliged – and the impact was far-reaching,” he said.

In another instance, a group had budgeted N20 million for a party, which was redirected to the donation of 200 desktop computers distributed to schools across the state.