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Abia State Governor Alex Otti used the 85th birthday celebration of the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe, to deliver a pointed warning against the kind of politics that fractures Nigerian society along ethnic and religious lines — telling an audience gathered at the Michael Okpara Auditorium in Umuahia that misguided politicians deliberately invoke identity to divide people who are fundamentally one.
“We are all one and the same,” Otti said. “When misguided politicians want to divide us, they begin to remind us that you are from here, the other person is from there.”
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The celebration, organized by the Abia State Government, drew political figures, traditional rulers and dignitaries who gathered to honor a monarch Otti described as a selfless leader whose life of service and integrity has continued to shape generations. The governor said the event was designed to send a deliberate message to younger Nigerians — that diligence, honour and hard work remain values worth building a life around. “We want our young people to know that it pays to be diligent. Honour pays,” he said.
Otti spoke of Igwe Achebe in personal terms, revealing that the monarch serves as a mentor and trusted adviser whose counsel he seeks before making major decisions in government. The two men share a professional history that predates Otti’s political career — Achebe recounted serving as chairman of Diamond Bank while Otti was the institution’s chief executive, describing the governor as intelligent and exceptionally hardworking.
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Former Minister of Education Oby Ezekwesili described the Obi of Onitsha as having transcended traditional leadership to become an institution in himself. Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, representing Abia South, said the occasion was a fitting tribute to a man who had brought class and dignity to Nigeria’s traditional institution framework.
Igwe Achebe, reflecting on 85 years, thanked Otti for keeping his promise to celebrate him and called on Abians to sustain their support for the governor’s administration.
