Ofala Festival: Nnewi celebrates South-East's longest reigning monarch

The people of Nnewi, in Anambra State, yesterday trooped to the palace of the traditional ruler of the town, Igwe Dr. Kenneth Orizu 111 as he marked the Ofala Festival. Igwe Orizu observed his 90th birthday and 52 years on the throne – which makes him South-East’s longest serving monarch, according to the records.

As early as 6.00am, canon shots heralded the Ofala Festival which was followed by an in¬terdenominational service.

During the commemorative church service, officiated by the Bishop of Nnewi Anglican Com¬munion, Rt. Rev. Prof. Godwin Okpala, a minute’s silence was observed for the victims of the gas factory explosion which hap¬pened on the eve of Christmas, in Nnewi.

In his sermon on the occa¬sion, Reverend Canon Onyeka Dikejioha, said that in as much as the gas factory accident was a very painful one, the people have no option than to thank God for everything since God alone is the giver and taker of life.

He commended the Nnewi traditional ruler for modernizing the Ofala Festival in Igboland by removing everything that appears demonic and ritualistic from the celebration.
According to him, “Some other Igwes would have spent seven days in the evil forest before coming out in the public today, but our dear Igwe is not like that and that is why people proudly call him Igwe-na-eje-uka.”

The preacher also com¬mended the succession arrange¬ment in Nnewi which he noted has totally removed the tension and acrimony that were noticed in communities where it was left for the highest bidder.

Igwe KON Orizu in his speech, thanked God for another year, noting however that the people were celebrating this year’s anniversary with heavy hearts because of the unfortunate fire incident in Nnewi which claimed lives.
The paramount ruler used the occasion to tell the excited crowd of how he moved from grass to grace, in spite of all odds.

He urged the Anambra State governor, Chief Willie Obiano, to help the Nnewi community by reconstructing the Okofia-Otolo road which leads to the Nnamdi Azikiwe University College of Medicine and the road that leads to the permanent site of NAUTH Nnewi.
The royal father appreciated the governor’s efforts in mak¬ing sure that Anambra people received democratic dividends.
The governor who rode into the arena with the publisher of The AUTHORITY Newspapers, Dr. Ifeanyi Ubah, thanked the Nnewi community for their sup-port for his administration. He pointed out that he has equally reciprocated the good gesture by appointing up to eight Nnewi people into strategic positions.
Gov. Obiano also noted that he has given security to the peo¬ple of the state which according to him is the first basic necessity for growth and meaningful de¬velopment to take place in any society.
He assured the people of An¬ambra State that his administra¬tion would attend to all the bad roads in the state in the spirit of the zero tolerance for potholes, during his administration.
Dr. Ifeanyi Ubah who is also the chairman and CEO of Cap¬ital Oil and Gas Limited, in his speech, pointed out that the gov¬ernor is doing well and as such the people of the industrial town are solidly behind Obiano, not¬ing the emergence of Obiano was not the making of any man but God.
The oil mogul said that his people will continue to support the administration of Chief Wil¬lie Obiano as long as Nnewi peo¬ple continue to benefit from his government, warning that Nne¬wi people will fight whoever that wants to fight the governor.
The epoch making event was attended by prominent tra¬ditional rulers, captains of indus¬try, politicians and top govern¬ment functionaries.