Whenever I travelled from Lagos to my village, I never drove straight home

I would drive from Lagos and stop halfway at a Catholic parish called Iboko Parish, the headquarters of my local government (Izzi LGA). I would park my car there, then enter Okada to my village.

After greeting my people, I would enter the same Okada back to where my car was parked… and return to the city.

Sometimes, even during Christmas, I didn’t spend up to five hours at home.

You might be wondering:

“Iking, were you running from village people?”
“Was it insecurity?”
“Bad boys?”

No.

The reason was simple and painful.

My village has no road.

The first day I ever drove directly into the village, I regretted it with my whole chest.

That car was a Toyota Land Cruiser – SUV, from my Car Rental Company, strong suspension, good tyres.

Yet, after coming out, I spent a huge amount of money fixing it.

Not because the car was bad.
But because our roads are worse than bad.

I was born on September 6th, 1996, the same year my state was created.

From that year till today…

People in my community:

Don’t know what good roads look like

Don’t know what electricity looks like

Don’t know what a functional hospital and School looks like

Don’t even know what clean running water looks like

And let me say this clearly:

My local government is one of the largest in Ebonyi State,
yet it is the poorest and most underdeveloped.

I’ve travelled across Ebonyi State.
I’m not saying others are perfect.

But if you want to explain underdevelopment in Nigeria,
use my community as a case study.

That is why, anytime I want to build or fund a business, I trace its origin back home.

Last year, I travelled from Lagos to Ebonyi State again.

That day, I entered an eatery (I won’t mention the name).
What I saw was unemployment everywhere.

Young people sitting idle.
Graduates roaming.
Energy wasted.

That same day, I told myself:

“I will not leave this place without creating at least one opportunity.”

That same week, I moved one of my businesses from Lagos to Ebonyi State.

We hired over 15 staff.

But it wasn’t easy.

Because most of my work is technology-based,
I had to:

Train

Retrain

Train again

Some trainings took 3 months.
Some took 6 months.

I even relocated fully from Lagos for months just to train them.

I flew in one of my colleagues from Lagos to assist.

Not because it was cheap.
But because development requires sacrifice.

Now here is where my pain deepened.

In the 7 months I spent in Ebonyi State, you couldn’t enter a market, restaurant or public place without hearing:

“4+4 is 8”
“Number one governor”
“Your Excellency, we love you”

Let me be clear.

Praising a governor is not a crime.

But when praise becomes noise,
it hides reality.

Another red flag?

Every major road and market in the whole of Ebonyi State is filled with giant billboards of the governor.

Not business adverts.
Not local entrepreneurs.
Not companies that could pay taxes and create jobs.

Just:

“Happy Birthday Your Excellency”
“Congratulations Sir”

Billboards that should generate IGR are used for praise messages.

Messages you could post on WhatsApp.

That space could:

Create revenue

Support businesses

Fund roads
Fund hospitals

But instead, it feeds ego.

Before anyone misunderstands me…

I am not against the government.

I love my state.
I love my people.
That is why I speak.

Proof?

6 months ago, I built Otapay.ng, a bill payment platform.
I dedicated 15% of its net profit to support underdeveloped communities like mine.

The name Otapay came from Otam Nwogba, my community.

Two Months ago, I started a Zero-to-Billion Naira business challenge.
Within one week, we raised ₦7.7 million.

The company is called Fokona

Where did the name come from?

Four Corner Market, located in Mkpuma Ekwaoku Ndiezechi in Izzi Local Government Area, where my entrepreneurial journey started.

Everything I build traces back home.

Yet, in that same community today:

Trailers carry away zinc and lead

Mineral resources leave daily

No road

No hospital

No electricity

Youth unemployment everywhere

This has been happening before I was born.

Tell me…

How do you expect young people to stay calm
when wealth leaves their land and nothing returns?

Your Excellency,

Rt. Hon. Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru
Please don’t see this as an attack.

See it as a reminder.

You are from this same local government.

History will ask questions.

A governor should not sit comfortably
while his own backyard remains forgotten.

Development is not noise.
It is roads, water, hospitals, jobs, power.

My people don’t need posters.
They need presence.

They need impact.

I will continue to speak.
Not because I hate government.
But because I love my home.

And silence has never built any community.

If you read this till the end,
thank you.

This is not politics.
This is truth from the road I couldn’t drive on.

I am Iking Ferry,
Founder, Pulseford Business School
A Financial Literacy Advocate, on a Mission to build 1 million Financially Free Nigerians with the right Knowledge