Osita Chidoka
@osita_chidoka • 91,388 subscribers
Policy, governance and public leadership. Founder, Athena Centre & Clearpath Media. Explaining Nigeria, Africa and the systems shaping our future.
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As I walked to board my Air Peace flight from Enugu this morning, I could not resist taking a short video of two Enugu Air aircraft parked alongside our Air Peace aircraft. The terminal was busy, and all three flights appeared full. The Enugu Air flights had arrived from Abuja and Lagos—a smart strategy. By night-stopping aircraft in both cities, the airline can bring passengers into Enugu early in the morning and then return with passengers travelling to Nigeria's two busiest destinations. Our Air Peace flight, a Boeing 737-800 in an all-economy configuration, was also full. This is how route development works. Over time, passenger traffic grows and compounds because travellers gain confidence that they can reliably get in and out of a destination. Which brings me to a larger point. What private investor would have prioritised Enugu in the way Enugu State has done through Enugu Air? Most investors would naturally focus on the "golden triangle" of Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt, where demand is already established and returns are more predictable. No country has developed on private capital alone. At critical moments, the state must intervene to develop markets, build infrastructure, reduce risk, and create the conditions for private investment to flourish. The objective is not permanent state ownership, but strategic intervention followed, where appropriate, by private-sector participation and eventual divestment. The orthodoxy that "government has no business in business" is not a universal law. Development requires pragmatism, not ideology. The Enugu Air experiment offers lessons that extend far beyond aviation. Similar thinking can be applied to industrial parks, technology hubs, logistics infrastructure, skills development, and other sectors where private capital may be reluctant to make the first move. But for such interventions to succeed, Nigeria and its states must first build capable, professional, and modern bureaucracies focused on development outcomes. Institutions, more than aircraft or infrastructure, are the foundation of sustainable progress. Osita Chidoka 24 June 2026
Osita Chidoka65,371 просмотров • 1 месяц назад
This morning, after my 10 km run, my wife, my father, my brothers, cousins and in-laws gathered for breakfast to celebrate my birthday. It felt good to sit with family, surrounded by love and hopeful for the future. My father, Ogbueshi, prayed for me and for all of us. A remarkable man, he has committed many of the Psalms of David to memory. Even now, at the age of 100, he still wakes around 4 a.m. each day to memorise Scripture. As he prayed that we would all live longer than him, he recited the entire Psalm 51 from memory: "Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions." Those are the opening words of a Psalm he knows in full by heart. Listening to him was both humbling and inspiring. It reminded me that a long life is sustained not only by good health, but also by faith, discipline and God's abundant mercy. I thank God for the gift of another year, and for the blessing of a father whose life continues to teach us all. Osita Chidoka 18 July 2026
Osita Chidoka21,077 просмотров • 28 дней назад
Former Governor of Abia State, Dr Okezie Ikpeazụ joined me and numerous young people to open an account with Sterling Bank to endorse and support their Zero Transfer charges. Like Globacom, which led the way in per-second billing, Sterling Bank is leading the charge for free transfers, and I hope other banks will follow suit. Nigerians need a respite from needless charges. Osita Chidoka 4 April 2025
Osita Chidoka78,541 просмотров • 1 год назад
The Ritual: Eat and Burn Morning jog with my club, Coal City Fitness Enugu. Okpara Square is the heartbeat of morning fitness in Enugu. It is my happy place. For colleagues and friends coming to Enugu for the NBA Conference, I am arranging a special session on Saturday, 22 August, an Ogene Jog. We will jog to the rhythm of our culture, and afterwards, I will treat everyone to special Enugu Okpa to cool off. By the way, I am pushing for Okpa to be registered with the WTO. My argument is simple: if it is not made in Enugu, it is not Okpa. Just like Champagne is only Champagne when produced in the Champagne province of France, any other sparkling wine made elsewhere is simply sparkling wine. The same principle should apply: any Bambara nut flour delicacy not made in Enugu is not Okpa. Period. Osita Chidoka 16 August 2025
Osita Chidoka37,503 просмотров • 1 год назад
Still struggling to find the right words. Ifunanya, a gifted singer with Amemuso Choir, and one of the brilliant young women who acted with me in the stage adaptation of Arrow of God, is gone. Last year, I was on stage to congratulate her for her award winning performance of Pamino in the opera Magic Flute adapted by AMEMUSO Choir Gentle, talented, full of light. Her voice and presence lifted everyone around her. This is a loss that cuts deep. Her passing is also a painful reminder of a fact we often ignore: Abuja is prone to snakes. By geography, the FCT lies within the savannah belt, and rapid expansion into former bushland means snake encounters, are a real risk. We must do better. FCT Administration should ensure anti-venom is readily available in public hospitals and emergency centres across the FCT. They should Carry out regular fumigation and bush control in residential neighbourhoods, especially fast-growing estates and satellite towns. Strengthen public awareness and emergency response protocols for snakebite cases. Individuals should keep surroundings clear; control rodents; use light at night and fumigate their premises. If you encounter a snake bite victim keep the person calm and still, immobilise the limb, and go immediately to the nearest hospital with anti-venom. Do not cut, suck, tie tight tourniquets, or apply home remedies. Treatment protocols include administering intravenous fluid (drip) to stabilise patient. It does not push or carry the venom to the heart. Ifunanya deserved a longer life, a larger stage, more applause. Listen to Ifunanya sing this famous hymn composed by William Walsham How (written in 1864) For All the Saints’ is one of the Church’s great hymns of remembrance a quiet assurance that those who have sung, served, and struggled faithfully now ‘from their labours rest’. As Ifunanya sings it, the hymn becomes both prayer and farewell. Together with the departed we say Amen. This cuts deep....so deep...lack of anti-venom? snakebite? In 2026? Osita Chidoka 1 February 2026
Osita Chidoka17,300 просмотров • 6 месяцев назад
Today, I step out to St Andrews Anglican Church, Obosi to mark the one year memorial service of our mother Deaconess Victoria Nneka Chidoka. This service marks the end of mourning and the beginning of the celebration of her life. The selfish grieving of a loss, is human, but it is an expression of our doubts about the Omniscience of the Creator who made her and called her when her task was done. I did not make her and must learn not to question her departure. On this recognition, I go forward from today only in praise of the most high for the opportunity to experience with her and untie the knots of the past, making our future better. The celebration starts as we continue to raise awareness about the scourge of cancer and suppprt small traders across communities. Join us in prayer of gratitude to the Most High, the Ruler of all the Worlds and the Creator. Osita Chidoka 26 May 2024
Osita Chidoka10,769 просмотров • 2 лет назад
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