The traditional ruler of the Onitsha Kingdom, Obi Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe, has said it would be delusional for Nigerians to place all their hopes and trust in the government, insisting that citizens must also strive to help themselves.
Achebe stated this during this year’s traditional Ofala Festival, which was held on Friday at Ezechima Square in Onitsha. He said that, for years, things had failed to change and that there was a need for people to do what they could to advance their own causes legally.
The monarch said his admonition was drawn from the successive themes of the event in previous years, including the 2026 theme, “Igbambo, Iganiru,” which translates into English as “strive and advance.”
He said: “In 2023, we had the theme: ‘Better. Together. Stronger.’ It was a call for consolidation on our breakthroughs while galvanising for future challenges. In 2024, ‘Courage. Perseverance. Self-reliance: Onye kwe, Chi’e ekwe’ was a reflection on the prevailing hardship, and an expression of empathy and encouragement for our people to endure the hardship through their attitudes, determination and actions. Last year was ‘Njikoka na Ntachi: Community Resilience.’
“The last 10 years have been very challenging for our country. Thus, it would be delusional for us to place our hope and reliance entirely on the government. Accordingly, these reinforcing themes call on Ndi Onicha to summon those enduring attributes that sustained our ancestors at moments of difficulty in order to survive the prevailing hardship while upholding our dignity as a people. We have no option but to strive and advance.”
The monarch also said the Osun State governorship election should serve as a benchmark for the 2027 general elections, while calling on Igbo people to participate en masse in the forthcoming polls.
He said: “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.
“Democratic elections are opportunities for the electorate to select the candidates that would deliver the best governance. It is, therefore, imperative for non-partisan stakeholder groups, including traditional and religious institutions, town unions and civil society organisations, to intensify their advocacy, mobilisation and enlightenment efforts for free and fair elections.
“Also, the political parties must abhor violence and engage in healthy, issues-based campaigns to enable the electorate to make the right choices.
“Except for reports of violence and intimidation, the recent off-cycle governorship election in Osun State demonstrated robust campaigning, a massive voter turnout and reasonable performance by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The election has become a marker for the coming national elections, and all eyes are on INEC to deliver free and fair outcomes.
“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 a democracy, all votes count. Therefore, we must come out and vote for our candidates.”