Okija stampede: Stop sharing food, empower people through farming - IPOB

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By Madu Obi

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has urged Igbo philanthropists to shift their focus from sharing food items to empowerment through farming.

IPOB Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, in a statement, sympathized with the families and relations of the Okija victims, even as he absorbed Obijackson Foundation of any wrongdoing.

According to Powerful, Obijackson's philanthropic efforts have been ongoing for years and should not be discouraged or demonized, noting that his annual Christmas food distribution to women in Okija community and beyond has been a welcome gesture.

The group emphasized that in a functioning country, it is the government's responsibility to ensure that poverty is not exploited, adding, "Unfortunately in Nigeria, the government has failed its citizens, leading to the rise of philanthropists like Obijackson who provide palliatives to alleviate poverty".

While blaming the Nigerian government for allegedly perpetuating poverty, which has resulted in the deaths of many Nigerians in December 2024 alone, IPOB encouraged wealthy Igbo to support struggling youths in meaningful endeavours and employment, as well as invest in Igbo land to create job opportunities.

It stressed the importance of empowering people to reduce hunger and poverty, rather than creating a culture of dependency, urging Igbo philanthropists to provide seedlings for planting to enable people to produce their own food and become self-sufficient.

"By promoting the agricultural and industrial revolution, IPOB believes that Ndigbo can address the state-sponsored exploitation of poverty in Nigeria", the statement said.