2024 Message
Message By His Majesty, Nnaemeka Alfred Ugochukwu Achebe, CFR, mni, Obi of Onitsha, Agbogidi, at the 2024 Ofala, Tuesday, October 15, 2024
We give all glory to the Most-High God for this 23rd Ofala festival of my reign on the throne of our founding father, Ezechima. We never take the grace and benevolence of our Creator for granted. I also welcome our visitors who have come from various destinations to join our annual celebration despite the current travel challenges in the country. We trust that you will enjoy the festival as in the past.
The State of the Nation.
At Ofala last year, I stated that the previous twelve months were marked by uncertainties occasioned by the aftermaths of the general elections, further exacerbated by the continuing insecurity and the effects of the sudden removal of the fuel price subsidy. Unfortunately, the wellbeing of the polity has declined even more steeply in the last twelve months leading to a ten-day national protest in August 2024, tagged #Endbadgovernance. The two areas of most concern are the economy and security. Their combined effects are the spiraling rise in the cost of living, business closures, loss of employment, a general feeling of hopelessness, and lack of trust in the government.