Former presidential candidate Peter Obi has condemned the sexual assault and harassment of women during the controversial ‘Alue-Do’ festival in Ozoro, headquarters of Isoko North Local Government Area, Delta State, calling the attacks a reflection of misplaced national priorities.

In a statement on Saturday titled Channelling Our Women to Critical Areas of Development, Obi described the festival incident as a “triviality” that diverts attention from more pressing development needs, particularly the empowerment of women, who constitute over 50% of Nigeria’s population.

“While the rest of the nations of the world are investing in critical areas of development such as human capital, we lag behind.

“Instead of ensuring that our women—the vital segment of our population—are educated and meaningfully integrated into leadership and management structures, where they have consistently proven to contribute significantly to development, we fall short.

“This is evident in countries like the Scandinavian nations and even in developing economies. In Indonesia, for instance, women own over 50% of SMEs, which provide about 98% of jobs.

“Similarly, in Bangladesh, women make up about 60% of the workforce in the garment industry, the country’s largest export sector, generating about $50 billion—far more than what Nigeria earns annually from crude oil experts,” Obi said.

He further criticised the national focus on events such as the Ozoro festival, where videos circulating on social media showed young women being chased, stripped, and molested in broad daylight on Thursday, March 19. The videos sparked widespread outrage across the country.

“Rather than emulating these nations by investing in our women—and harnessing their productivity—our focus drifts toward trivialities such as the Ozoro festival, a development that reflects poorly on our national priorities.

“This is a profound misplacement of values. Greater effort should be directed toward meaningful development, including policies and initiatives that empower women and integrate them into the economic mainstream,” Obi added.

The former governor of Anambra State emphasised that investing in women could transform Nigeria:

“If we redirect our priorities, invest in our people, and harness the potential of our women in critical sectors, we can rebuild our nation on a foundation of productivity and inclusion—transforming from a now disgraced country into one of pride. With the right priorities and actions.”

The statement comes as the Delta State Police confirmed the arrest of several suspects in connection with the festival, including a community leader identified as Omorede Sunday and four others believed to be organisers. Bright Edafe, Police Public Relations Officer in Delta State, said:

“The community head and chief organiser of the event and four other suspects have been arrested. The Commissioner of Police has ordered their transfer to the State Criminal Investigation Department.”

NAPTIP also condemned the attacks, describing them as “barbaric” and a violation of human rights, and pledged to support efforts to ensure justice for the victims and prevent future incidents. (Saturday PUNCH)