2019 Message

Message By His Majesty, Nnaemeka Alfred Ugochukwu Achebe, CFR, mni, Obi of Onitsha, Agbogidi, at the 2019 Ofala, Saturday, October 11, 2019.

Introduction

I welcome everyone to this year’s Ofala. The festival which is the high point of Onitsha Ceremonial Cycle and is also the period of homecoming for Onitsha indigenes. The Ofala usually provides an opportunity for some stocktaking.

As with life, ordinarily, our fortunes in our domain over the last several years have been mixed. All in all, however, I make bold to say that we are making steady progress on more fronts than not. I will address our situation under four headings, namely, Community Re-inventing and Re-engineering, Youths Development, Urban Pressures and Commercialization, and Environmental Pollution and Degradation.

Community Re-engineering and Re-invention

I am happy to state that we have achieved much in this area with respect to infrastructure, peacebuilding and reconciliation, and creating an Onitsha virtual community with the advantage of Information and Communications Technology (ICT). On infrastructure, we are all witnesses of the transformation that this palace has undergone since I came on the throne of Ezechima.

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