Man walks Lagos to Ebonyi on blistered feet and gets ₦10m
Seventeen days. 633 kilometres. Blisters, dust, and strangers. But his journey was never about endurance, it was about peace.
When 37-year-old businessman Jeremiah Obaji laced up his shoes in Lagos on 22 August, he had just two T-shirts, a pair of shoes, and one mission, which was to walk all the way to Abakaliki in honour of peace. Seventeen days and 633 kilometres later, he arrived in Ebonyi’s capital on a Sunday morning, feet blistered but spirit unbroken, and was greeted by a cheering crowd.
His reason was to thank Governor Francis Nwifuru for his efforts to end the bloody Effium/Ezza-Effium clashes that have plagued Ohaukwu Local Government Area since 2021.
The governor’s response matched the grand gesture. Jeremiah was rewarded with ₦10 million for his feat.
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“Many lives were lost, and properties were destroyed. I trekked to Abakaliki to thank Governor Nwifuru for restoring peace,” Obaji told reporters, recalling how his community was torn apart.
His media aide, Wisdom Nwedene, added that the large crowd that welcomed him showed “how much Ebonyians value peace and the governor’s leadership.”
The crisis, which began in January 2021 as a tussle over market and motor park revenues between two political leaders, spiralled into years of killings, arson, and mass displacement. Families who once shared cultural and marital ties suddenly turned against one another, leaving villages deserted and thousands displaced.
Governor Nwifuru has since signed a peace accord into law, begun land demarcation, and created five autonomous communities to ease tensions.
“We have been able to champion peace with dignity and respect for humanity. Some people are benefiting from this crisis, but this government will not allow them to sabotage peace,” he said.
This walk taken by Jeremiah was more than politics. Each step was a thank you. Each blister, a prayer that the peace holds. And with his homecoming now marked by cheers and millions, his trek has become a symbol of what people are willing to endure for the hope of lasting harmony.
Obaji’s 633-kilometre walk may be over, but for Ebonyi, the longer journey towards lasting peace may have only just begun.
