A Lesson from Alex Onyia: Why Community Development Must be a National Priority

I woke up one morning, stretched lazily on my bed, and reached for my phone like most of us do. 

Scrolling through my timeline on X (formerly Twitter), I stumbled upon a post by Alex Onyia, a name that had become familiar to me ever since I came across his Educare Academy.

His tweet stopped me in my tracks:

“We will be remodeling hundreds of classrooms and toilets, starting with schools in remote villages in the South East. It will be one classroom and toilet per chosen school at first. That’s my plan with @gaiuschibueze and others that may wish to participate. Nothing so fancy but will be extremely conducive for learning for the children. I am very particular about school toilets.It’s core for students’ hygiene and has been neglected for a very long time. We need to restore hygiene in our public schools.

I read the tweet again. And then once more.

This was different. In a country where citizens are conditioned to expect little from their leaders and even less from their fellow countrymen, here was someone who wasn’t waiting for the government.

Alex Onyia and his partners were taking matters into their own hands, breathing life into the kind of grassroots development we always talk about but rarely see.

As a journalist who focuses on community development, this struck a deep chord with me.

We’ve long advocated for people to take charge of their own progress instead of waiting for government intervention that may never come.

In Nigeria, waiting for the government to bring developmental projects is like waiting for a female to be given the opportunity to rule the world, possible but painfully slow.

From that moment, I turned on my notifications for Alex Onyia’s tweets.

Every day, I watched as he shared updates on the project’s progress.

One day, he posted about acquiring building materials. 

Another day, he talked about finding laborers and artisans willing to contribute their skills.

The level of transparency and accountability was inspiring, something to be emulated.

But then, as with most great visions, the obstacles came.

There were financial constraints. There were times when it seemed like the project might stall, and I feared it would become just another well-intended dream that never came to fruition.

But Alex and his team kept pushing.

They appealed to well-meaning Nigerians to support the initiative. And they did. People donated. The work continued.

Today, the Echindu Community School in Ebonyi State stands as proof that when ordinary citizens take responsibility for their communities, change happens. 

Children who once struggled to learn in dilapidated classrooms now have a conducive learning environment. 

They can go to school and feel safe. They can use toilets that don’t pose a health hazard.

Now, imagine if we had an Alex Onyia and like-minded individuals in each of Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, people committed to community development, people willing to step in where the government fails. 

Imagine the transformation we would witness across the country.

Community development isn’t just about fixing schools or building toilets. It’s about empowerment. 

It’s about ensuring that people have access to basic needs, education, healthcare, and economic opportunities.

It’s about fostering a sense of ownership and responsibility among citizens.

Benefits of Community Development Projects 

1. It Fosters Self-Reliance

When communities take charge of their own development, they become less dependent on government intervention. They learn to solve problems creatively and sustainably.

2. It Strengthens Social Bonds

Projects like Alex Onyia’s bring people together. They create a spirit of collaboration where individuals, businesses, and organizations contribute their resources and expertise for the common good.

3. It Leads to Sustainable Growth

Unlike government projects that often suffer from poor maintenance due to lack of ownership, community-led initiatives tend to be more sustainable because the people themselves ensure their continuity.

4. It Inspires More Good Works

When people see the impact of community-driven projects, they are encouraged to do the same in their own localities. One school in Ebonyi today could inspire ten more across the country tomorrow.

Alex Onyia’s work should not be the exception, it should be the norm. 

The reality is, Nigeria is too vast and its challenges too many for us to wait for the government to fix everything. 

We must begin to see community development as our collective responsibility.

So, I ask: What can you do for your community today?

It doesn’t have to be as grand as renovating a school. It could be as simple as organizing a cleanup drive, supporting a local skill acquisition program, or helping a child stay in school.

The change we seek starts with us. 

Let’s be the Alex Onyias in our communities.