Grand Reception for Etiokwe; in Whose Interest? (Umuaka Times Editorial).

As Njaba Local Government Area prepares to celebrate its chairman, Chief VitalisUgochukwu Obi, the EtiokweNjaba, with a grand civic reception, one cannot help but wonder what exactly is being celebrated in the locality. Two years into the tenure, the administration has failed to deliver tangible development, and instead, it seems to be basking in the euphoria of empty rhetoric and fake political promises.

In order to mark a highly remarkable event, a donation platform has already been opened where people across the entire Njaba LGA are requested to make freewill donations to support what has been tagged “a grand civic reception in honour of Chief VitalisUgochukwu Obi (EtiokweNjaba). From what Umuaka Times gathered, over N10 million has so far been contributed for the reception and Umuaka is taking the lead with highest donors.

From all indications the people of Njaba LGA made up of several vibrant towns like old Umuaka, Okwudor, Nkume, Attah, Amucha, and Egwedu that are also subdivided into smaller autonomous units and villages deserve better attention not sycophancy and empty celebrations. With huge monthly allocations and internal revenues, the LGA should be a model of development or what the people call “Small London” and not a laughing stock. But alas, the reality on the ground paints a different picture: In Njaba LGA, even the blind can see that the council is witnessing an era of poor waste management, bad roads, inadequate healthcare facilities, poorly managed schools, neglect of youths and no access to clean water. The list goes on and on.

The plain truth is that the chairman’s supposed “achievements” are nowhere to be seen by anybody including party members. Instead, in Njaba LGA, the people are forced to task themselves to pay the salaries of some teachers, provide pipe-borne water and even contribute to the reception celebrating the “remarkable” tenure of Chief Vitalis Obi. This is an undiluted travesty in all ramifications.

The Njaba LGA administration’s failure to address pressing issues like insecurity, agricultural support, and youth empowerment is glaring. Gunmen abduct and kill with impunity in Njaba LGA thereby making it one of the most dangerous LGAs in the entire Igboland.  The question Umuaka Times is asking is this; is the grand reception a desperate attempt to distract the people of Njaba from the failures of the local council or an encouragement to promote the concept of business as usual?

Umuaka Times urges the people of Njaba to demand accountability, not empty celebrations. The governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodimma, should take note: Njaba LGA is not working and the community is helplessly in need of social change. It’s time for progress, and progress starts with honest leadership and followership.

The presidents-general in all the Njaba towns are totally behind this celebration. Find time and ask any of them to show you the report card that will justify the grand reception scheduled to hold on 11 April 2026, none of them can afford that.

Let’s not sugarcoat it: this celebration is a sham. The people of Njaba deserve real development, not a photo-op. From This Day newspaper of March 20, 2026 under the title, Tinubu: States, LGs Now Have More Funds, Must Deliver at Grassroots, Be Held Accountable, the newspaper writes, “President Bola Tinubu yesterday urged states and local governments to use the increasing funds now available to them to deliver tangible development at the grassroots level. He emphasized that government officials must be held accountable for ensuring that, due to the increased allocations, projects and programmes positively impact local communities.”

Against this backdrop, Umuaka Times newspaper is asking the people of Njaba to show what the administration of Chief Vitalis Obi has so far done to merit such a reception. Considering the huge allocations the LG receives, Umuaka town is the largest community in Njaba and it has the largest market in the local government as well. There is no tangible project the current administration of Chief Obi has so far done in Umuaka not to talk of other communities in the local council. To be fair to the administration, Umuaka Times has at many occasions seen the chairman and his team at burial ceremonies held in Umuaka and other communities.

It’s time to hold Chief Vitalis Obi and his team accountable for their failures and demand a better future for Njaba LGA. Umuaka Times will support good governance and visible achievements in Njaba LGA, not empty celebrations. Can this be a ploy to deceive the governor of the state that Njaba LGA is working while in reality the local council is not working?