"We Lag Behind While Others Invest": Peter Obi Condemns Ozoro Festival Assaults; Calls for Shift from Rhetoric to Real Women's Empowerment

Peter Obi slams Nigeria's neglect of women following the Ozoro festival incident. He compares Nigeria's $50bn oil revenue to Bangladesh's female-led garment exports.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 21, 2026, 12:25 PM EDT

Source: The information in this article was sourced from Politics Nigeria

A National Crisis of Priority

In a strongly worded statement released on Saturday, March 21, 2026, Peter Obi addressed the disturbing footage emerging from the Ozoro festival in Delta State, where women were allegedly harassed and assaulted. Titled “Channelling Our Women to Critical Areas of Development,” the statement argued that the incident is a symptom of a much larger national failure: the refusal to view women as central pillars of human capital. Obi warned that while the global community accelerates through gender-inclusive growth, Nigeria remains trapped by archaic priorities that devalue a vital segment of its population.

The Economic Cost of Gender Neglect

Obi utilized global economic data to highlight Nigeria’s missed opportunities. He pointed to the Scandinavian nations as benchmarks for integration and specifically cited developing economies that have outpaced Nigeria by empowering women.

The Bangladesh Example: Obi noted that women constitute 60% of Bangladesh's garment industry workforce, generating $50 billion in exports—a figure that exceeds Nigeria's annual crude oil revenue.

The Indonesia Example: He highlighted that women own over 50% of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Indonesia, a sector responsible for nearly 98% of that nation's jobs. By contrast, Obi argued, Nigeria has failed to move beyond "rhetoric," leaving its female population largely excluded from critical management and leadership structures.