Ofala: Obi of Onitsha Urges Tinubu to Tackle Worsening Hardship, Insecurity

Obi of Onitsha

By Titus Eleweke

The Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe, Agbaogidi, has appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently address the worsening economic hardship and insecurity confronting Nigerians, warning that the country’s socio-economic situation continues to deteriorate.

According to the monarch, the situation in Nigeria is getting worse by the day, contrary to claims by some top government functionaries that the country is making progress.

Igwe Achebe expressed support for the position of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria on the state of affairs in the country, noting that the bishops were right to raise concerns about the worsening conditions of life faced by citizens.

He dismissed assertions by some members of President Tinubu’s cabinet that things were getting better, accusing them of turning a blind eye to the widespread hardship and insecurity across the country.

Agbaogidi made these remarks on Friday during his address at the 2026 Ofala Onitsha Festival, where he reflected on the country’s economic and security challenges, the forthcoming 2027 general elections and the need for citizens to remain committed to hard work and perseverance.

“In my 2024 Ofala address, I remarked that the previous twelve months were marked by uncertainties following the general elections,” he said.

He noted that the country’s socio-economic well-being had deteriorated further in 2024, with the hardship deepening in 2025 and pushing more Nigerians below the poverty line.

“I noted that the well-being of the polity has declined even more steeply in 2024. Unfortunately, the hardship has further deepened by 2025, thereby throwing more people below the poverty line,” he said.

Achebe also cited a World Bank development update on Nigeria, which, according to him, indicated that about 104 million Nigerians had been classified as poor in 2023.

“The situation was worsened by unending insecurity in most parts of the country. I then called on the Government to make urgent provisions for the poorest in our society,” he said.

The monarch recalled that on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, the leadership of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria paid a courtesy visit to President Tinubu, during which they raised concerns about persistent insecurity and the severe economic hardship confronting the majority of Nigerians.

“Unfortunately, some Government officials politicised the visit by claiming that the bishops spoke only for their congregation,” he said.

According to him, some government officials subsequently insisted that all was well in the country, despite the prevailing challenges confronting millions of citizens.

“The officials asserted that all was well in the country. But truth be told, the issues raised transcend political, religious and ethnic partisanship,” he stated.

Igwe Achebe observed that hunger, unemployment, inadequate access to medical services, insecurity and other deficiencies in human development had become widespread across the country, stressing the need for urgent and decisive government intervention.

Speaking on the 2027 general elections, the Obi of Onitsha lamented that political officeholders were increasingly abandoning their primary responsibilities to concentrate on re-election campaigns and political positioning, warning that the trend was detrimental to the welfare of the masses.

“The national elections are barely three months away. Expectedly, the attention of the political class has increasingly turned to political positioning, and away from governance,” he said.

He noted that democratic elections provided an opportunity for the electorate to choose candidates capable of delivering effective governance and improving the living conditions of the people.

“Democratic elections are opportunities for the electorate to select the candidates that would deliver the best governance,” he added.

Achebe stressed the need for non-partisan stakeholder groups, including traditional institutions, religious organisations, town unions and civil society organisations, to intensify their advocacy, mobilisation and public enlightenment efforts to ensure free, fair and credible elections in 2027.

He also urged political parties to conduct peaceful campaigns focused on issues affecting the electorate rather than resorting to violence and other forms of political intimidation.

“Also, the political parties must abhor violence and engage in healthy, issues-based campaigns to enable the electorate make the right choices,” the monarch said.

The traditional ruler commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for what he described as its transparent conduct of the recent off-cycle governorship election in Osun State, while urging the commission to build on the experience in preparation for the 2027 general elections.

“Except for the reports of violence and intimidation, the recent off-cycle governorship election in Osun State demonstrated robust campaign, massive turnout by voters, and a reasonable performance by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC),” he said.

He described the Osun election as an important reference point for the forthcoming national elections, noting that expectations were high for INEC to deliver credible electoral outcomes.

“The election has become a marker for the coming national elections, and all eyes are on INEC to deliver free and fair outcomes,” he stated.

Achebe also called on people across the South-East states to overcome what he described as their longstanding apathy towards elections, urging them to participate actively in the democratic process.

He warned that staying away from elections while subsequently complaining about political marginalisation was counterproductive.

“We cannot stay away from elections and turn around to complain of marginalisation. In democracy, all votes count. Therefore, we must come out and vote for our candidates of our choice,” he stated.

Speaking on the theme of the 2026 Ofala Onitsha Festival, Igwe Achebe emphasised the importance of hard work, determination and perseverance in overcoming personal and collective challenges.

He explained that the theme, “Igba Mbo, Iga n’Iru: Strive and Advance,” was a continuation of previous themes designed to inspire resilience, self-reliance and progress among the people.

“The theme for this year’s Ofala is ‘Igba Mbo, Iga n’Iru: Strive and Advance.’ This is sequel to the previous themes,” he said.

According to the monarch, the 2023 theme, “Better. Together. Stronger,” called on the people to consolidate their achievements while preparing collectively for future challenges.

He explained that the 2024 theme, “Courage. Perseverance. Self-reliance: Onye Kwe, Chi’e Ekwe,” reflected the prevailing economic hardship and was intended to encourage the people to remain resilient and support one another in navigating the difficult circumstances.

“In 2023, ‘Better. Together. Stronger.’ was a call for consolidation on our breakthroughs whilst galvanising for future challenges.
“In 2024, ‘Courage. Perseverance. Self-reliance: Onye Kwe, Chi’e Ekwe,’ was a reflection on the prevailing hardship, and empathy and encouragement to our people to survive the hardship,” he said.