Ebonyi Man Plans Lagos-Abakaliki Trek to Honour Gov. Nwifuru’s Peace Efforts

A Lagos-based businessman, Comrade Obaji Jeremiah Nworu, has announced plans to undertake a symbolic trek from Lagos to Abakaliki in honour of Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, for his role in ending the protracted communal crisis in Effium, Ohaukwu Local Government Area.

Mr Nworu, 37, said his journey — spanning hundreds of kilometres — is a personal gesture of appreciation for what he described as “genuine and lasting peace” brought to a region plagued for years by violence and political stalemate.

“Osinbajo couldn’t settle the war, Umahi tried but failed. But Governor Nwifuru came and initiated a peace process that has finally restored normalcy to Effium,” Mr Nworu told NAIJA NEWS TODAY in an interview.

Effium, a densely populated autonomous community with a history of bitter conflict, has long been at the centre of one of Ebonyi State’s most intractable communal disputes. The conflict, which led to loss of lives, displacement of residents, and destruction of property, resisted several intervention efforts from past administrations at both the state and federal levels.

A native of Umuezeoka Umueze in the Alioma Ezza Ezekuna clan, Mr Nworu has firsthand experience of the toll the crisis took on local communities. Now based in Ikorodu, Lagos, where he trades in plumbing materials, the father of four said the restoration of peace deserves an “unusual form of appreciation.”

“I believe unusual kindness deserves an unusual response. Most politicians profit from violence, but this governor rejected any gain built on human blood,” he said.

Mr Nworu’s planned route will take him from Lagos through Ijebu Ode, Ondo, Benin, and several communities in the South-east before arriving in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital. He said he has been undergoing physical training and assembling gear, including boots, a raincoat, water bottles, and a first-aid kit, in preparation for the journey.

Beyond personal gratitude, Mr Nworu also sees the trek as a call to action. “Along the road, I expect to meet street hawkers — many of them from Ebonyi. I want to advocate for policies that address street trading and youth unemployment, while commending the governor’s ongoing investments in agriculture and peacebuilding,” he said.

He also praised Governor Nwifuru’s decision to divide Ohaukwu North into development areas that could function more autonomously, describing it as a step toward resolving long-standing political marginalisation within the constituency.

“Effium should have had two local government areas by now, but internal rivalry has stalled its development. The governor’s intervention has given every part of Ohaukwu North the chance to grow at its own pace,” he noted.

The businessman’s decision has drawn mixed reactions from the public. While some have questioned the rationale behind the gesture, others — particularly those affected by the Effium conflict — have praised it as a bold and symbolic act.

Interestingly, Mr Nworu acknowledged that he had once been a critic of the governor. “I campaigned vigorously against him in 2023. But leadership is about results, and Nwifuru has shown that he prioritises peace over politics,” he said. He added that his gesture is also a call for political unity among Ebonyi people ahead of the 2027 elections.

This is not Mr Nworu’s first flirtation with symbolic trekking. In 2019, he vowed to walk for Atiku Abubakar if the former vice president won the presidential election — a plan he later shelved after Mr Abubakar lost.

“This time, nothing will stop me,” he declared. “Let Nigerians remember that one Abakaliki man walked from Lagos to Abakaliki, not for fame, but to appreciate peace — because peace has no substitute.”