OHAJI/EGBEMA DESERVES THE IMO GOVERNORSHIP SEAT IN 2027

-It Is Time to Give the Oil-Producing Area a Chance to Govern and Serve Ndi Imo

By: Chukwuma Oparaji – Awarra, Ohaji/Egbema

Ohaji/Egbema, the Imo and Nigerian economic hub, stands as one of the most resource-blessed yet politically sidelined regions in Imo State. Its history is woven with resilience, productivity, and an enduring commitment to communal life. From pre-colonial agrarian settlements to a modern oil-producing corridor, Ohaji/Egbema has consistently contributed to the wealth and stability of the state and nation, often without commensurate returns.

It is a grave error and historic misnomer for princesses to walk barefoot while servants ride on horses. Such a distortion of order offends both reason and justice. When those who sustain the kingdom are condemned to hardship while beneficiaries revel in comfort, the moral fabric of society is torn. Equity demands restoration; conscience demands correction.

Ohaji/Egbema fits tragically into this parable. It is the hen that lays the golden eggs, yet has been denied the taste of its own harvest. Endowed by God with fertile land, abundant waterways, rich human capital, and oil and gas resources that power the economy of Imo State and the Nigerian federation, Ohaji/Egbema remains a landscape of neglect rather than prosperity.

A visit to Awarra, Ikewerede, Assa, Obile, Ochia, Ohoba, Obosima, Mgbirichi, Umuagwo, Umuapu, Opuma, Abacheke, Obitti, Ekeugba, and other areas of Ohaji/Egbema would convince anyone that these people truly deserve the Imo State governorship seat in 2027.

It is painful that an oil-producing territory has broken roads; a food-producing belt has impoverished farmers; and a people of intellect and industry are excluded from the highest tables of decision-making. For years, its wealth has traveled outward while development never traveled back. This is not fate; it is a failure of justice. It is time for the natural order to be restored. The hen that lays the golden eggs must taste the dividends of its God-given endowment. Development, political inclusion, and fair representation are not favors; they are rights earned through contribution and sacrifice.

As history beckons and conscience speaks, Ohaji/Egbema must no longer be asked to wait at the gate of power. Justice insists that those who sustain the commonwealth should also share in its rewards. What is demanded now is simple and profound: recognition, restitution, and rightful inclusion—so that the princesses may finally ride, and the long-standing misnomer will be corrected.

AGRICULTURE: The Ancestral Backbone

Long before crude oil altered Nigeria’s economic trajectory, Ohaji/Egbema thrived as an agricultural heartland. Its fertile plains yield cassava, yam, maize, cocoyam, vegetables, palm produce, and fisheries sustained by rivers and wetlands. Generations of farmers turned soil into sustenance and trade, feeding markets far beyond their borders. This agricultural tradition is not merely economic; it is cultural—anchoring identity, work ethic, and social cohesion—yet with little or no government presence in the lives of the people of Ohaji/Egbema.

NATURAL ENDOWMENTS: Wealth Beneath the Soil: Beyond agriculture lies an even greater paradox: Ohaji/Egbema is an oil-producing area of strategic national importance. Crude oil and gas extraction has flowed for decades, adding to Nigeria’s foreign earnings and federal allocations. Yet the communities that host this wealth tell a painful daily story of environmental stress without remediation, revenue without reinvestment, and extraction without equity.

HUMAN RESOURCES: A People of Capacity and Character. If land and oil were all Ohaji/Egbema had, its claim would already be strong. But its greatest asset is its people—industrious farmers, skilled artisans, entrepreneurs, professionals, academics, and community leaders who have excelled across Nigeria and the diaspora. This is a population seasoned by responsibility but denied opportunity at the highest decision-making table. Their competence has been tested; their patience has been stretched.

THE NEGLECT IS LONG OVERDUE:

For decades, Ohaji/Egbema has stood at the margins of power. Roads remain impassable, healthcare thinly spread, schools under-resourced, potable water scarce, and industrial presence minimal. The irony is stark: an oil-producing area with little visible government footprint. This is not merely an oversight it is a structural injustice.

Oil-Producing Area, Yet No Sign of Government Presence. Where there should be modern infrastructure, there is abandonment. Where derivation and development should translate into visible progress, there is silence. The social contract has been broken too many times. Rectifying this imbalance is not charity; it is justice.

2027: A Moral and Strategic Imperative

Rotational equity strengthens unity. Inclusive leadership stabilizes democracy. Entrusting the governorship to Ohaji/Egbema in 2027 would signal a decisive break from exclusion and restore faith in fair representation. It would also unlock development informed by lived realities, prioritizing rural roads, environmental remediation, agribusiness value chains, youth employment, security of livelihoods, and transparent governance.

Finally: From Contribution to Recognition

Ohaji/Egbema has given land, labour, and loyalty. It has sacrificed more than enough without reward. It has fed the state, fueled the nation, and produced capable sons and daughters. What it asks in return is not privilege, but parity. As Imo charts its future, 2027 must be the year justice speaks clearly—by recognizing Ohaji/Egbema’s sacrifices and elevating its voice to the highest office in Imo State. This is not just politics; it is a reckoning with fairness, development, and shared destiny.