People of Onitsha, Anambra State would be rolling out drums in October for the celebration of the 2023 annual Ofala festival.
The carnival slated for Saturday, October 14 and the Azu Ofala on Sunday, October 15 at Ime Obi Onitsha would also witness celebration of 21-year reign of Obi of Onitsha, His Majesty, Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe mni, CFR, Agbogidi.
Chairman Ofala Strategic, Marketing and Communications subcommittee, Chief Nn’emeka Maduegbuna disclosed this on Thursday at a press conference to herald the itineraries for the festival themed, “Better; Stronger; Together.”
He said over 100 artists from Southeast would be performing at the carnival while Catholic Bishop of Ekiti Diocese, Rt. Rev. Felix Femi Ajakaye would deliver maiden edition of the lecture series as part of activities marking the celebration.
Maduegbuna said,”In twenty-one years as Obi of Onitsha, His Majesty, Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe mni, CFR, Agbogidi, has made giant strides.
“These find expressions in a number of areas. They include a modernised and revitalised monarchy, and a leadership the aura of which today radiates beyond Onitsha to Anambra State, the Southeast region, Nigeria and beyond.
“Furthermore, His Majesty has also articulated a vision for communal transformation hinged on a new value system for lifting the poor and most vulnerable in his domain from consumption and dependency to production and self-reliance. This vision is animated in the work of the Onitsha Advancement Foundation.
“The natural step is to consolidate on the breakthroughs that have been made from the onset. It is against this background that His Majesty has adopted Better. Stronger. Together as the theme of the 2023 Ofala.
“It is a concept which whilst building on the gains that have been achieved, facilitates addressing the challenges ahead. In addition, it draws attention that this is “work- is- in-progress” and requiring that “all hands should-be-on deck.
“This year’s Ofala and the associated events will run over a three-week period in the month of October. Even though celebratory, cognisance has been taken of the prevailing economic situation in the country in planning the various events. We therefore have no alternative but to be restrained in the modalities for the 2023 Ofala.”
Globacom Retail Chief South-East South-South office, Offor Augutus Ndu said the firm is deeply committed to preserving the nation’s rich cultural heritage.
“Our support for the celebration of festivals is hugely driven by our belief in the enormous potentials of Ofala Festival and other important festivals in the country in boosting the potentials of the tourism industry as a top revenue earner for the people and for our country.
“In 2011, we signed a Memorandum of Understanding to be the major sponsor of this yearly prestigious festival and we have always looked forward to working with the Palace and the Festival Planning Committee to ensure a better edition each year. We have kept the partnership glowing since then.
“Across the world and even on the African continent, tourism continues to be an industry growing exponentially and boosting the development of the growth of associated businesses like travel, hospitality and the service industry.”
