Deputy President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, has lambasted US-based journalist and academic Obi Nwakanma over what he described as a “malicious and unwarranted” media attack against the Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi.
In a strongly worded statement issued in Aba, Abia State, on October 20, 2025, Isiguzoro accused Nwakanma of harbouring resentment towards successful engineers due to his “personal academic disappointment” and “failure to pursue a career in mechanical engineering.”
According to Isiguzoro, Nwakanma’s recent criticism of Senator Umahi was not only “unprovoked” but also “a deliberate attempt to discredit the achievements of prominent Igbo figures serving in President Bola Tinubu’s administration.”
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It is widely known that Obi Nwakanma once aspired to become a mechanical engineer, but his inability to pass his science subjects at Government College Umuahia forced him into the arts. His admiration for engineers is thus mixed with bitterness,” Isiguzoro alleged.
He went further to describe Umahi as “a professor in the field of engineering,” praising the former Ebonyi State governor’s achievements, particularly the transformation of Abakaliki into one of the fastest-growing cities in Africa and the creation of the ‘Abakaliki Rice’ brand, now exported to over a dozen African countries.
Isiguzoro emphasized that Umahi’s record as governor between 2015 and 2023 remains unmatched in the Southeast, citing major infrastructural milestones such as the Abakaliki International Airport, the upgrade of Akanu Ibiam International Airport, and his “Aku RuO Ulo” philosophy that birthed the King David University of Technology, Uburu.
Umahi’s rise from party chairman to governor, senator, and now Nigeria’s first Igbo Minister of Works since 1951 is evidence of divine grace and exceptional competence,” he stated.
The Ohanaeze chieftain also dismissed ongoing debates over the cost of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, noting that Umahi had “transparently clarified” that the project costs an average of ₦7 billion per kilometer.
Turning his attention back to Nwakanma, Isiguzoro accused him of acting as “a pawn of external detractors” bent on tarnishing Umahi’s reputation, while urging him to “redirect his energies towards more productive ventures.”
At 60, Nwakanma should return home and contribute to rebuilding the Southeast rather than attacking those who have achieved what he could not. Let him donate books to Government College Umuahia instead of writing from exile to pull others down,” he added.
Isiguzoro concluded by calling for unity among Ndigbo, stressing that progress can only be achieved through solidarity and mutual support rather than “needless intellectual hostility.”
As Ndigbo, our strength lies in collaboration and upliftment. We must celebrate, not condemn, our own,” he said.
