OPEN LETTER BY HON. PRINCESS GLORIA AKOBUNDU, PhD, fsi TO ALL UMU ADA IGBO IN THE SOUTH EAST AND ACROSS NIGERIA

 

OPEN LETTER BY HON. PRINCESS GLORIA AKOBUNDU, PhD, fsi

TO ALL UMU ADA IGBO IN THE SOUTH EAST AND ACROSS NIGERIA

2027: SECURE THE FUTURE OF YOUR CHILDREN BY VOTING APC FOR CONTINUITY

My dear sisters,  

My beloved Umu Ada Igbo,  

Mothers, daughters, wives, professionals, traders, farmers, and community leaders across the South East and in every part of Nigeria where our people reside,

I greet you in the name of the Almight God and a firm commitment to our shared heritage, our resilience, and our unbreakable commitment to the future of our children.

I write this open letter not as a politician seeking favour, but as a daughter of Igboland, a mother, an educationist, and a public servant who has watched with deep concern the choices that will shape the destiny of the next generation. In 2027, history will ask us a simple but profound question: Did we secure the future of our children, or did we gamble it away?

I urge you, with all the sincerity of my heart, to support the All Progressives Congress (APC) for continuity. Continuity is not about loyalty to individuals; it is about protecting the policies that are already delivering tangible benefits to our families, our communities, and especially our children.

Let me share with you the reasons that compel this call.

_1. NELFUND – The Nigerian Education Loan Fund_

For the first time in our nation’s history, a structured, accessible student loan scheme has been established and is operational. NELFUND is removing the financial barrier that has kept many brilliant Igbo sons and daughters out of tertiary institutions. No longer will a child of a widow in Orlu, a farmer in Abakaliki, or a trader in Aba have to abandon university dreams because of school fees. This is not theory; it is a living policy that is already changing lives. Continuity will expand and deepen this opportunity so that more of our children can borrow, study, graduate, and repay on fair terms.

_2. The End to the Endless ASUU Strikes_

For years, our children in public universities were held hostage by prolonged Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strikes. Academic calendars collapsed, years were wasted, and many parents watched helplessly as their children’s futures stalled. Under the present APC administration, deliberate engagement, funding commitments, and dialogue have brought a significant end to the recurring national strikes that once defined our tertiary education system. Our children can now plan their academic journeys with greater certainty. Continuity will consolidate this relative industrial harmony and prevent a return to the painful era of prolonged disruptions.

_3. TETFUND – Strengthening Our Tertiary Institutions_

Through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), our universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education have received consistent intervention in infrastructure, research, libraries, laboratories, and staff development. Lecture halls are being built and renovated, equipment is being supplied, and academic staff are accessing training opportunities. These investments are not abstract; they translate into better learning environments for our sons and daughters. Sustaining this funding stream through continuity ensures that the gains are not reversed.

_4. Expanded Access to Education and the Power of Human Emancipation_

Education remains the most powerful tool for human emancipation. It liberates the mind, creates opportunity, and breaks the cycle of poverty. The current administration’s focus on education — through NELFUND, TETFUND, improved funding, and reduced industrial unrest — is widening access for the children of ordinary people. When a girl from a rural community in Imo, Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi, or Abia gains quality education, she emancipates not only herself but her entire family and community. Continuity protects and expands this pathway. Interrupting it risks returning us to an era of uncertainty and limited opportunity.

_5. Local Government Autonomy – Bringing Governance to the Community Level_

 

The historic Supreme Court judgment affirming the financial autonomy of Local Governments, and the subsequent steps toward implementation, has brought governance closer to the people. For the first time in a long while, resources that belong to the grassroots are beginning to reach the grassroots. This means that decisions affecting our communities roads, primary healthcare, basic education, markets, and security can be made and funded at the level closest to the people. For Umu Ada Igbo who live and work in the villages and towns, this is not remote politics; it is practical governance that touches daily life. Continuity will allow this autonomy to take deeper root and deliver lasting community development.

_6. Cash Transfers to Vulnerable Households_

Targeted cash transfer programmes to vulnerable households have provided a lifeline to many widows, elderly persons, and low-income families. These transfers, though modest, have helped put food on tables, keep children in school, and cushion the harshest effects of economic hardship. For many Igbo families still recovering from years of economic pressure, this social support has been a critical buffer. Continuity ensures that such programmes are not discarded but refined, expanded, and better targeted so that no vulnerable household is left behind.

My dear sisters,  

Our children are watching us. The girl who wants to become a doctor, the boy who dreams of becoming an engineer, the young woman who hopes to build a business that employs others their future depends on the stability of policies that are already working.

The APC government has laid foundations in education financing, tertiary stability, institutional funding, grassroots governance, and social support. These are not perfect achievements, but they are real, measurable, and beneficial to the ordinary Nigerian family. Continuity allows us to build upon them rather than start all over again.

_I therefore call on every Umu Ada Igbo  in the South East and across Nigeria to stand firmly for continuity in 2027. Vote APC. Secure the future of your children. Protect the gains already made. Give our sons and daughters the gift of an education system that works, a local government system that serves, and a social support system that cares._

The future is not a distant promise. It is being shaped by the choices we make today.

May God bless Umu Ada Igbo.  

May God bless our children.  

May God bless Nigeria.

Yours in service and sisterhood,

_Hon. Princess Gloria Akobundu, PhD, fsi

Secretary, APC PCC Faith Based Mobilisation and member APC PCC Women Mobilisation Wing_