BY SAM OTUONYE
Chief Barr. Obioma Success Akagburuonye, Akaraugo 1 of Igboland, a multiple award winning philanthropist, businessman, and real estate mogul, has added to his bouquet of awards on Saturday August 15, 2026, at the Mbaise New Yam Festival, held at Oke Ovoro, Mbaise, Imo State, with the Grand Patron and Platinum Awards, even as he made an outstanding donation of N50 million to support the festival.
Mbaise New Yam Festival is a yearly gathering of Mbaise sons and daughters at home and in diaspora, specifically on every August 15, to celebrate the year’s harvest and thank God for His protection and grace for a bountiful harvest. It is rotated among the three local government councils that makeup Mbaise – Aboh, Ahiazu, and Ezinihitte.
The awards presented by the President-General, Ezuruezu Mbaise, the socio-cultural organisers of the festival, Surveyor Joe Anosike, praised Akagburuonye noting that the awards were bestowed on him for his outstanding and unwavering support to the Mbaise nation at home and abroad.
He said: “We present to you, our brother, the Grand Patron of Mbaise Yam Festival 2026, for your kindness, and for what you’re doing for Mbaise people and beyond. I do this on behalf of the Mbaise people.”
Responding, Barr. Akagburuonye, also an Engineer, who has always attributed his wealth and wellbeing to the Grace of God, returned the Glory to God who gave him the power to make wealth, emphasizing that God’s mandate upon his life is to help humanity.
“I am humbled by this recognition. I pray that God will continue to strengthen me to do what He has assigned me to do for humanity,” Akagburuonye stated.
The APC gubernatorial Aspirant in the 2027 Imo State off-cycle election, highlighting the series of empowerment programmes he has executed for the Imolites, cited an example of the most recent one, where 236 Imolites were graduated from various skill acquisition training across the 27 local government councils of the state, in a bold effort to make them self-dependent and relevant.
“I wish to let you know that we have been empowering Imolites. You’re aware that we have just graduated 236 Imolites from the 27 local governments of the state. I have told my people that I can only teach you how to fish so that when I have power I now give you the equipment to go and fish – so that I will be busy putting food on your table and making you relevant to yourselves.”
He reiterated the fact that he is not a professional politician who would play politics with the livelihood and wellbeing of the citizens – making promises without fulfilling them, as he has means of livelihood already sustaining him, his family, dependants and well-wishers.
“I don’t play politics. I’m not a politician,” Akagburuonye noted.
It would be recalled that the Executive Governor of Imo State, His Excellency Senator Hope Uzodimma, on the occasion of Chief Akagburuonye’s 60th birthday and Book launch in February, 2026, represented by his Deputy, described Akagburuonye as “a passionate politician”, highlighting the genre of Akagburuonye’s political mentality.
The Sun and Champion Newspapers, leading Nigerian dailies, had recently honoured him with the Humanitarian Man of the Year and Beacon of Hope for Imolites Award, respectively, in recognition of his unrivaled contributions to humanity.
Akagburuonye, Founder and Financier of ‘Hope Rising for Imolites’, a non-governmental organisation, has extended medical, financial, educational, social and entrepreneurial supports to multitudes of Imo youths, the elderly, women and children. He has used the platform to support many Imo people with skills, start up capital, augment businesses, and light up communities with solar power technology.
The passionate philanthropist has addressed unemployment by establishing industries to engage the youths and women. He set up Obisco table water, Akaraugo Micro-finance bank, Peace Be Still Hotels, Lion of Judah Security Services, Praco Int’l Limited, and his Law firm, Akaraugo Chambers, among others.
An ardent Kingdom investor, Akagburuonye is an ‘Ambassador of the Gospel’, bestowed on him by the Assemblies of God Church, in recognition for his contributions to the church, ministers, members, and growth of the gospel.
He singlehandedly built a first-of-its-kind Church auditorium for Assemblies of God – the Noah’s Ark, a multi-million worship centre, designed after the biblical Noah’s ark, commissioned in 2025 by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, former president of Nigeria.
As an ecumenical Christian, Barr. Akagburuonye has built, renovated and donated huge sums of money to various Churches- Anglican, Catholic, and pentecostal, in Nigeria and diaspora.
Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer (MD/CEO) of Praco Int’l Ltd, a leading real estate firm in Nigeria, Akagburuonye has invested and developed estates in the federal capital territory (FCT) and beyond, creating access to affordable housing for Nigerians.
These values and gestures are hallmarks of a trail blazing leader, passionate politician and philanthropist whose time has come.
The 2026 Mbaise yam festival was flowery and electrifying, with pump and elegant dances and displays, drawing traditional rulers, legislators, business magnets, corporate organizations, the media, and international agencies.
