Ebonyi and the Children We Owe: Dr. Ifeanyi Odii’s 2025 Children’s Day Message Ignites New Hope
By Prince Darlington Onwe
On May 27th, 2025, the streets of Ebonyi were filled with music, school parades, and colourful ribbons to mark World Children’s Day. But beyond the celebrations and costumes, one voice stood out with a message not just for the day, but for the future: Dr. Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii, a business magnet, philanthropist, and the gubernatorial candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 general election, delivered a inspiring and visionary statement that is now reshaping public discourse across the state.
Titled “A Brighter Future Begins Today,” Dr. Odii’s address was not political grandstanding. It was a heartfelt call for social responsibility and a practical roadmap for investing in the most vulnerable, and valuable members of Ebonyi society: its children.
In his words, “To every child who has ever been bullied, silenced, or made to feel small, you are not alone. Your pain is seen, your voice matters, and your future is brighter than any shadow cast upon you,” he declared in a message that has since gone viral across platforms and communities of the state.
On a sobering economic reality, Dr. Odii’s message comes at a time when Nigeria faces unprecedented challenges affecting the lives of children. According to UNICEF recent data, one in three Nigerian children lives in severe food poverty, placing them at extreme risk of malnutrition and early mortality. In Ebonyi, where over 65% of the population lives below the national poverty line (NBS, 2024), the situation is even more dire.
Further compounding the crisis is the staggering figure of over 10.5 million out-of-school children in Nigeria, a statistic that continues to grow due to insecurity, forced migration, and economic hardship. In Ebonyi, rural areas suffer from school dropout rates as high as over 45% among girls due to early marriage and inadequate sanitary facilities.
From Business to Nation-Building and Social Blueprint, Dr. Odii, founder and chairman of Orient Global Group and one of Africa’s most successful entrepreneurs, has long, not only demonstrated a track record of social investment through education scholarships, women empowerment, youth development initiatives, and philanthropy proved his nation’s building capacity, but has also shown an insightful social blueprint for community growth and profitability. In his Children’s Day message, he stepped fully into the role of a statesman with a clear vision for systemic change. Stressing that:
“Laws alone are not enough. We must live them. We must teach them,” referring to the Nigerian Child Rights Act of 2003 and its uneven implementation across states.
He went on to outline key priorities areas for the state, including but not limited to safe and inclusive learning spaces, where he advocated for child-friendly, bullying-free classrooms and digital platforms where every child feels safe and inspired.
He further emphasized on mental health and emotional support for children and young people. Recommending school-based counselors and trauma-informed education systems to address the rising tide of youth depression, abuse, and anxiety. He also implicated the need for need for home-grown solutions through community-led change, encouragement local communities, parents, and faith institutions to be frontline partners in building protective environments for children.
This year’s global theme “Stand Up, Speak Up: Building a Bullying-Free Generation” was not lost in Dr. Odii’s narrative. He called on teachers, parents, government officials, and even children themselves to become advocates of compassion, not just bystanders:
“Kindness is strength. Compassion is leadership,” he said, challenging Ebonyians to reimagine leadership not as political control, but as the courage to protect and uplift others, especially those without power.
Consequently, Dr. Odii’s message is not just an advicacy but also a Social Blueprint Campaign (SBC), rooted in both the present and the future. Dr. Odii’s has increasingly been defined not just by his economic acumen but by his deep-rooted humanism. This recent message has given Ebonyians a glimpse of what governance under Odii could look like: compassionate, progressive, child-centered, and more.
According to teachers in Ikwo, Ezza South, Ohaukwu, and Ohaozara LGAs who spoke in anonymity for fear of lien being levied on their salaries, “Dr. Odii is the first leader I’ve heard speak about children like they matter, not just in words but in plans. We’ve heard enough promises. He’s giving us vision.”
Apparently, as the sun set on May 27, 2025, many children across Ebonyi returned to homes without electricity. Most schools were without chalk, desks, and policy certainty. But through the words of Dr. Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii, a different kind of light was kindled, the light of possibility, of a leader who sees beyond statistics and speaks to the soul of a people.
For Ebonyi, the brighter future may truly begin today, if the will of the people matches the vision of the man who dares to dream with them.
Prince (Hon) Darlington Peter Onwe is the Executive Director IGHUSUF Africa.
He writes from Abakaliki, Ebonyi State