Gov.Otti Urges Ndigbo to Replace Discord with Peace, Cooperation

l-r: Governor of Abia State Dr Alex Chioma Otti, General Ike nwavhkw

The Governor of Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti, has urged Ndigbo to replace discord and acrimony with peace, understanding, sincerity and cooperation.

According to him, Ndigbo should place the collective interest of the region above individual differences in order to build a more prosperous future for the Igbo nation.

Governor Otti made the call in Umuahia during the 2026 World Igbo Day celebration, hosted by the Abia State Government.

Speaking on the theme, “Ohaneze: History and the Dreams of Tomorrow,” Governor Otti said the courage, resilience, enterprise and communal values inherited from Igbo ancestors remain critical to the progress and development of the people.

According to the governor, unity does not require uniformity of opinion.

He stated that Ndigbo could disagree on issues while remaining committed to their shared aspirations and values.

“Unity does not mean unanimity of opinion on every issue, but a consciousness that our individual desires cannot be superior to the aspirations of the majority,” Governor Otti stated.

The governor further urged Ndigbo to replace discord and acrimony with peace, understanding, sincerity and cooperation.

He identified education, apprenticeship and the traditional ‘Omugwo’ system as vital channels for transferring knowledge, skills and values from one generation to another.

In his remarks, the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Senator John Azuta-Mbata, said Ndigbo must interrogate and define the future they want for themselves and for Nigeria.

He said the Igbo Charter, developed and presented to Ndigbo, contains a roadmap for maximising the potential of the Igbo people.

Senator Azuta-Mbata said unity remains the spirit of “Njiko Ka,” the theme of the 2026 Igbo Day, stressing that a cohesive front is required for Ndigbo to take their rightful place in Nigeria and the world.

“Our people must bind together. We must deliberately move together so that we can take our rightful place in Nigeria and the world.
“We may disagree on politics, we may disagree on religion, we may disagree on strategy, even in the interpretation of our history. But beneath these differences is a shared identity, a shared responsibility. We must lay a solid foundation for the generations that must come after us,” Azuta-Mbata said.

He commended Governor Otti for hosting Ohanaeze Ndigbo and for giving full support to the 2026 Igbo Day celebration.

The Chairman of the occasion, General Ike Nwachukwu (rtd.), called on all Igbo sons and daughters, wherever they may be, to recognise that they have a role to play in building the Igbo nation.

General Nwachukwu, who described the spirit of enterprise as the strength of the Igbo man, stressed the need to deliberately invest in young people, inculcate the fear of God in them, and make them understand that they are not only leaders of tomorrow but also leaders of today.

He urged Igbo youths to embrace their culture and compete with excellence.

Earlier, in his sermon at the interdenominational church service, the Archbishop of the Methodist Church Nigeria, Umuahia Archdiocese, Most Rev. Dr. Chibuzor Raphael Opoko, described Ndigbo as a chosen generation of God, noting that if they had not been chosen, they would have gone extinct.

Archbishop Opoko, who observed that wherever Ndigbo are found in Nigeria and beyond, they are known for enterprise, ingenuity and hard work, called on Igbo leaders to unite and work together for the development of the Igbo nation, irrespective of their political affiliations.

The high point of the event was the wreath-laying ceremony in honour of late eminent Igbo personalities at the Aguiyi Ironsi Cenotaph.

The ceremony was performed by Governor Alex Otti; the Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Emmanuel Emeruwa; Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe; Senator John Azuta-Mbata; Prof. Mrs. Uche Azikiwe; General Ike Nwachukwu; Chief Mike Okiro; and Archbishop Sunday Onuoha.

The event attracted prominent Igbo leaders and stakeholders from across the Igbo nation, including the former Deputy Governor of Abia State, Sir Ude Oko Chukwu.