Nkechinyere Ewa-Okpara
When Comrade Jeremiah Obaji Nworu, a 37-year-old trader based in Lagos, set out on foot from Nigeria’s commercial capital on August 21, 2025, few believed he would complete the gruelling journey.
But after 17 days of trekking across forests, highways, rains, and scorching sun, he arrived Abakaliki on Sunday, September 7, to the warm embrace of Ebonyi state Chief of Staff, Emma Echiegu.
His mission was not political. It was deeply personal: to thank Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru for restoring peace to Effium, a community ravaged by fratricidal war since 2021.
“There is nothing we can give in exchange for peace,” Obaji said, his voice firm but emotional. “The war was an evil wind that blew no one good. Governor Nwifuru has done what many thought impossible he gave us peace back.”
A War That Scorched His Roots
Obaji hails from the Alioma community in Ohaukwu Local Government Area, one of the newly created communities that bore the brunt of the Effium crisis.
The conflict, which began in 2021, displaced families, razed homes, and turned brothers into bitter enemies.
“I lost friends, I lost property, I lost sleep,” Obaji recalled. “Even from Lagos, the burden was heavy. It was self-destruction your house burnt, my house burnt. Nobody won.”
Once a fierce critic of Nwifuru during his campaign days, Obaji likens his journey to a biblical epiphany:
“I didn’t know I was fighting against my saviour. Like the people who opposed Christ, I resisted the one who would bring us salvation.
I had to pay a sacrifice that cost me something, and trekking from Lagos to Ebonyi was my way of saying thank you.”
Beauty and Bitterness on the Road
The road to Ebonyi was lined with both sweet and sour memories.
At Okuzu, he encountered an old classmate an Effium native who had lost everything to the war. They embraced, shared their scars, and pledged to rebuild peace together. In Enugu, Amuda indigenes hosted him with fanfare. At the same time, his stopover in Asaba led to the birth of an Ebonyi Association that now caters to the welfare of indigenes in the city.
Yet, he also met broken children. In Ugwuoba, he saw three teenagers from Ebonyi stranded and working odd jobs instead of schooling.
“They were haggard, hungry, and hopeless. I gave them money, but my spirit was restless. I promised to find a way to put them in school or engage them in skills training,” he said.
The journey was punishing too. Ill-prepared, he trekked in jeans that left bloody bruises on his thighs, slept in mosquito-infested shelters, ate poorly, and endured torrential rains. “At J4, I was bitten by something that disturbed me for weeks. I even had to throw away my belt because it bruised my skin,” he said with a half-smile.
But the journey was sustained by sheer faith. “Even when tired, I told myself, if I don’t reach today’s destination, I may fall into the wrong hands. That gave me strength.”
Rewarded with a Governor’s Handshake
When Obaji finally arrived in Abakaliki, the reception was beyond his imagination. The government did not dismiss him as a stuntman or critic seeking attention. Instead, Governor Nwifuru received him with warmth and gifted him ₦10 million.
“I was overwhelmed,” Obaji admitted. “This is a government I once criticised bitterly, yet they still honoured me. It shows the governor is truly a father to all.”
A Call for Youth to Choose Peace
Having walked through 17 days of pain and reflection, Obaji now preaches a gospel: peace must be the youth’s top agenda.
“The elders declare war, but it is the youth that fight it,” he said. “We should be peace ambassadors. We must stop taking the law into our own hands and stop tracing crime on tribal lines. If one man from a clan commits a crime, hold him alone not his people.”
He cited Lagos as an example of coexistence: “I live there and we don’t see this tribal stereotyping. But here, wars batter our image. Investors will only come where there is peace.”
Beyond ₦10 Million: A Foundation for Peace
Asked what he would do with the governor’s donation, Obaji was quick to respond:
“I am not hungry. God has blessed me with my business and my home. I want to use this to set up a Peace Foundation. We’ll visit schools, hospitals, and communities to preach peace, support widows, and engage resource persons who can educate our people. Illiteracy and ignorance fuel most of these conflicts.”
Already, friends and well-wishers are promising to partner with him in what could become one of Ebonyi’s most grassroots-driven peace campaigns.
The Symbolism of One Man’s Trek
To many, Obaji’s walk was madness. To others, it was showmanship. But to him, it was a pilgrimage of gratitude and reconciliation.
“I trekked because peace is priceless,” he said. “If possible, I would trek again, because my governor has saved my people from destruction.”
His story has since gone viral on social media, sparking debates about civic gratitude, youth activism, and the power of symbolic gestures in healing communities torn apart by war.
And in Ebonyi, Comrade Jeremiah Obeji Nworu dusty shoes now carry a message louder than words: peace is worth every step.