Obi Decries Ozoro Festival Saga

Former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has decried the assault of women at the Ozoro festival, saying it reflects poorly on the nation’s priorities.

Obi, in a statement on his X handle, lamented that rather than emulate nations which invest in their women, focus in Nigeria drifted towards trivialities such as the Ozoro festival.

The sexual assault of several women and female students during a traditional festival in Ozoro, headquarters of Isoko North Local Government Area of Delta State had caused outrage.

The victims were attacked by youths during the controversial ‘Alue-Do’ festival held on Thursday, March 19.

Reacting however, Obi said, “While the rest of the nations of the world are investing in critical areas of development such as human capital, we lag behind. Instead of ensuring that our women—the vital segment of our population—are educated and meaningfully integrated into leadership and management structures, where they have consistently proven to contribute significantly to development, we fall short.

“This is evident in countries like the Scandinavian nations and even in developing economies. In Indonesia, for instance, women own over 50% of SMEs, which provide about 98% of jobs. Similarly, in Bangladesh, women make up about 60% of the workforce in the garment industry, the country’s largest export sector, generating about $50 billion—far more than what Nigeria earns annually from crude oil exports.

“Rather than emulating these nations by investing in our women—who constitute more than 50% of our population—and harnessing their productivity, our focus drifts toward trivialities such as the Ozoro festival, a development that reflects poorly on our national priorities. This is a profound misplacement of values. Greater effort should be directed toward meaningful development, including policies and initiatives that empower women and integrate them into the economic mainstream.

“If we redirect our priorities, invest in our people, and harness the potential of our women in critical sectors, we can rebuild our nation on a foundation of productivity and inclusion—transforming from a now disgraced country into one of pride.

With the right priorities and actions, a new Nigeria is POssible,” he said.

End.