Obi of Onitsha raises alarm over rising poverty, insecurity

By Vincent Ujumadu

The Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe, has expressed concern over rising hardship in Nigeria, lamenting that more citizens are being pushed below the poverty line amid persistent insecurity and economic difficulties.

Achebe, in his royal message to mark the 2026 Ofala festival, titled “Celebrating 500+ Years of the Onitsha Monarchy,” cited a World Bank development update which stated that about 104 million Nigerians were classified as poor in 2023.

The monarch said the situation had been worsened by persistent insecurity in several parts of the country.

He recalled the recent visit by the leadership of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria to President Bola Tinubu, during which the clerics raised concerns over national security and the severe economic hardship facing the majority of Nigerians.

Achebe said the issues highlighted by the bishops transcended political, religious and ethnic considerations and required urgent attention from the government.

“Hunger, unemployment, poor and inaccessible medical service, insecurity, and such other inadequate factors of human development, are pervading in the country. We plead with Mr President to give urgent attention to the fire situation on the ground,” he said.

On the 2027 general elections, the monarch observed that the attention of the political class was increasingly shifting towards political positioning at the expense of governance.

He urged stakeholders to intensify advocacy, mobilisation and public enlightenment to promote free, fair and credible elections.

Achebe also called on political parties to shun violence and conduct peaceful, issue-based campaigns that would enable voters to make informed choices.

Specifically, he urged people of the South-East to participate massively in the 2027 elections, warning that voter apathy would deepen the region’s political marginalisation and weaken its ability to influence decisions affecting its future.

According to him, the people of the region could no longer afford to stay away from the electoral process while complaining about inadequate representation.

“I call on the people of the South-East States to shake off their historical apathy towards elections. 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,” the monarch said.

He also urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure free, fair and credible elections, stressing that the integrity of the electoral process was essential to strengthening public confidence in democracy.

The Obi appealed to President Tinubu to prioritise the challenges confronting Nigerians, insisting that the issues required practical solutions beyond political, religious and ethnic considerations.

He said the country’s leadership should focus on governance and addressing citizens’ needs, particularly as the next general elections draw closer.

On community development, Achebe spoke about the activities of the Onitsha Advancement Foundation (ONAF), an initiative established to implement programmes aimed at improving the welfare of the people.

He said that after five years of operation, the foundation needed a comprehensive review of its achievements, processes and overall impact.

According to him, the proposed review would help reposition the organisation, strengthen its programmes and identify areas requiring improvement to deliver better results.

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