Idoma youths are lazy, only wait for free money from politicians – Ex-Pastor Abraham Daniel

A former pastor turned humanist, Abraham Daniel, has stirred controversy after declaring that Idoma youths are “lazy” and only rely on politicians for free money instead of building wealth through hard work.

In a strongly worded statement, Daniel, who now identifies as a humanist, also claimed that the Igede people were the real drivers of Otukpo’s economic growth, particularly through their dominance of the once-thriving rice mill industry.

“What many Idomas do not know is that the Igedes have been a major driver of the Otukpo rice mill industry in the 70s, 80s, 90s, and 2000s. The Otukpo rice mill industry—the only thriving industry in the whole of Idoma land then—was highly dominated and owned by non-indigenes. The Igedes largely owned and pioneered the growth of that rice mill industry. At one point, the Otukpo rice mill was known as the largest rice mill in West Africa,” he said.

Daniel backed his claims with personal testimony: “My father was an engineer there and my uncles owned many of the engines, bringing in raw rice into the Otukpo rice mill industry, while most of the Idomas were doing menial jobs there.”

He further challenged Idoma elites to name any major achievement that transformed their land: “With all the so-called big names from Idoma land, can they mention any significant growth or major achievements? Their major achievements are to have bullied the Igede tribe, the Igbo tribes, the Hausa, and the Yorubas that developed Idoma land— from the rice mill industry, to the Otukpo main market, to thriving supermarkets, to medicine stores and pharmacies. The majority of these were owned by non-indigenes, not Idomas.”

The former cleric went on to describe Idoma youths in unflattering terms: “As someone who was born and schooled in Otukpo, I can tell you for free that an average Idoma youth is lazier. They only sit and wait for free money from politicians, those who have earned their hard money. An average Idoma is a tax collector, a bully, entitled, and full of pride.” 

According to him, the Idomas’ grievance is rooted in their inability to dominate the Igede people.

“It is not today that they started bullying the Igedes, but the Igedes will keep excelling. Their pain is that they couldn’t subdue the Igedes and use them against the Tivs,” Daniel claimed.