AN OPEN LETTER TO GOVERNOR FRANCIS OGBONNA NWIFURU: TOWARDS SUSTENANCE OF PEACE IN EBONYI STATE.
We woke up in the early hours of Friday 30 January, 2026 to hear about the unfortunate crisis that left no fewer than four Okporojo people dead. Your swift response in visiting the site of the carnage and decisive action of sacking all the political appointees, withdrawing certificates of recognition of the traditional rulers and dissolving of all town union leadership in the affected area is a welcome development. It is understandable that human management is crisis management. But how it is managed determines the extent of its amicable resolution. I commend your resoluteness towards maintaining peace in every part of the state.
I implore your government to dig deeper to unravel the remote and immediate cause (s) of the war, so as to nip it in the bud.
We thank God for you steering the ship of Ebonyi state.
In the past, such ugly incidents happened in our dear state and the manner in which it was handled escalated it. We pray that what Ebonyi people witnessed under the previous governments of their Excellencies , Chief Martin Elechi and Sen. Dave Umahi should not rear its ugly head again. Our beautiful state was turned into theatre of war. Of course, there will be no affliction for the second time.
*The strategies the previous administrations handled Ezza and Ezillo, and the most recent, Uffiom and Ezza in the defunct Effium community.* This failure to act decisively was largely due to lack of political will, expression of political interest and or pure hatred towards some sections of the state.
Your Excellency sir, l wish to recommend the following measures toward stemming the tide of communal crises in the state.
1. Set up judicial panel of inquiry to unravel the remote and immediate cause (s) of the Amasiri and Okporoji crisis. And proffer adequate punishment for the culprit.
2. The issue of boundary adjustment should be critically looked into across the state.
3. In terms of political appointment in the state, the antecedents of any prospective appointee should be critical scrutinised to ascertain if he/she aligns with the community interest.
It could be recalled that some of political appointees are people who have no regards for people they are supposedly representing. They don’t live or invest in their communities, so even if there is crisis, they have nothing to lose.
4. The issue of unemployment should be looked into with the view to proffering solution. As remarked by a British/ New Zealand Economist of global repute, Dudley Seer, “When we want to talk about development, we should be able to ascertain what is happening to these three critical areas What’s happening to unemployment, what is happening to inequality and what is happening to poverty”.
He argued that if all these critical areas are not addressed, it will be strange to call what is happening development, even if there is economic growth and per capital income increase. It is a common belief that an idle mind is the devil’s workshop. If our youths are gainfully employed, they will not have time to forment trouble. It is common knowledge that any time there’s crisis, these idle youths see it as economic windfall as they make merchandise of the horrific situation.
5. Your Excellency sir, effort should be geared towards stamping out cultism and illicit drug peddling and other related vices in the state. The rate at which youths get involved in consumption of hard drugs is alarming. And guess what happens when they out of their senses, they become already-made tools for crimes and criminalities.
When there is peace in every part of the state, the lofty dream of our founding fathers is achieved. Recall the slogan during the struggle for creation of the state, “EBONYI STATE MOVEMENT, A MUST FOR DEVELOPMENT ”
The question begging for answer now is, can Ebonyi state develope in the state of hatred, acrimony, conspiracy and pull down syndrome? The answer is NO.
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On this premise, l urge well meaning Ebonyians and residents alike to say NO to violence and YES to PEACE.
A Voice in the wilderness.
John Nwite wrote from Abuja.
(DEMOCRACY NEWSLINE NEWSPAPER, FEBRUARY 8TH 2026)
