Harvest of titles as Igwe Laz Ekwueme celebrates 2025 Ofala festival in Oko

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By Madu Obi

It was a harvest of chieftaincy titles in Oko, Orumba North local government area of Anambra State when the traditional ruler of the community, Igwe (Professor) Laz Ekwueme celebrated his 2025 Ofala festival.

Igwe Ekwueme, Eze Ijikala 11, celebrated Ofala festival last 15 years ago, which, perhaps, was the reason the 2025 Ofala was indeed special in all ramifications.

During the ceremony, 42 people, made up of 35 Oko indigenes received chieftaincy titles, while about 75 individuals were honoured with the Diamond Awards by the community.

Speaking during the ceremony which took place at the famous Dr Alex Ekwueme Civic Center, Oko, Igwe Ekwueme emphasized the need for unity among the people, arguing that genuine peace and unity are essential for attracting meaningful development to the town.

According to the Monarch, Oko can only move forward if all join hands in working as a united family.

He gave thanks to God for the gift of life and expressed gratitude to those who came from far and near to celebrate with him and Oko community.

The Chairman of the organizing committee of Eze Ijikala II Ofala 2025, Chief Obi Okafor described Ofala festival as a tool for creating an atmosphere of social bonding, interaction and for promotion of the people’s culture, tradition and values.

He said it also provided opportunity for rewarding individual contributions to society through honorary recognitions like chieftaincy titles and awards.

“For a long time, members of our kingdom have not had this privilege, hence this 2025 Ofala festival provides an opportunity to fill the gap," he stated.

He expressed gratitude to the President General of Oko People’s Union (OPU), Captain Casmir Nwafor (rtd) who doubles as the Mayor of Orumba North local government area and his team for their cooperation during the planning and execution of the event.

He regretted that the Oko community had not had the privilege of celebrating the Ofala festival for 15 years due to internal issues that have now been resolved, adding that the long absence of the celebration may have been responsible for the high number of people who received honours.

Okafor appealed to those who may have merited recognition but were not honoured to be patient, as they would be recognized in future.

One of the awardees, the President-General of Oko and Mayor of Orumba South, Hon. Casmir Nwafor, commended the traditional ruler for honouring them and called for the sustenance of the celebration to foster proper bonding among the people of Oko Kingdom.

“It took us years to have this Ofala because we didn’t have a complete town environment, but as peace has returned, we decided to observe the Ofala,” he said.

According to him, over the years, many sons and daughters of Oko had through developmental projects, transformed the town into a beacon of collective progress, noting that Oko is blessed with human and material resources.

He said the task of Oko people would not just be to harness those resources but also to nurture them, protect and build a future where the people would all benefit.

He also appealed to lovers of Oko to come and do either direct investment or partner with the community for investment.

He lauded Governor of Anambra State, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, saying that the Governor has been proactive in developmental projects and had promised to build a bridge to checkmate erosion menace in the area.

The PG also appealed to Oko people to give maximum support to the Igwe and accord respect to constituted authorities.

Another awardee, Chief Reuben Muoka, Akajiugo of Oko, expressed gratitude to the traditional ruler for honouring him with the chieftaincy title.

According to Muoka, the honour was in recognition of his contributions to the development of the community through his professional calling and other endeavors.

He described the honour is a call for more work for the community, as he is challenged to do more. “This kind of occasion brings us together to decide the way forward for the community, and we are at the point of consolidating and harmonizing for peace,” he said.