By Ekuson Nw’Ogbunka, Abuja
Former Minister of Aviation, Chief Osita Chidoka, has reaffirmed the resilience and economic openness of Eastern Nigeria, declaring that the region is firmly open for business, travel, and community life.
In a reflective post on Saturday, Chidoka pushed back against narratives that define societies solely by their most difficult moments. He highlighted the visible return of normalcy, movement, and shared joy across the region during the festive season.
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“No society is defined only by its hardest moments. What matters is how people continue to live, return home, and find joy despite them,” Chidoka stated. He pointed to bustling markets, packed motor parks, active highways, and family reunions as clear indicators of social stability and economic life.
Millions of Easterners travelled home for Christmas and year-end celebrations, demonstrating the region’s social stability. Chidoka noted that ordinary life is not only unfolding but thriving across the East, from Aba to Awka, Onitsha to Nsukka, Abakaliki to Owerri.
The December economy recorded seasonal highs, reinforcing the South-East’s role as a major driver of national enterprise. Trade, transport, hospitality, and informal commerce thrived, showcasing the region’s resilience.
Chidoka’s message carried a deeper political and economic undertone, emphasizing that communities are actively choosing unity, continuity, and progress over fear or retreat. “What I see are people choosing community, resilience, and joy in motion,” he noted.
Using the unifying message ‘EastIsOpen,’ Chidoka called for a reframing of the South-East narrative, one that reflects lived realities rather than isolated incidents. He celebrated the unique strengths of each state with hashtags “AdmirableAbia, AmazingAnambra, EndearingEbonyi, ExcitingEnugu, and InvitingImo,”
The statement aligns with historical patterns: a region that repeatedly absorbs shocks yet rebounds through enterprise, kinship networks, and mobility. The festive return of millions this December confirmed that confidence in the East remains strong.
As debates continue nationally around security, investment, and regional development, Chidoka’s intervention serves as reassurance and invitation—reassurance to citizens and the diaspora, and an invitation to investors, partners, and policymakers. Eastern Nigeria is alive, moving, and open for good—and it is ready to tell its own story.
