My 20-year reign transformed Onitsha into a 21st century city, says Igwe Achebe

 

The objective has been further enhanced by the endorsement of the Ofala by the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) as a major Nigerian festival, thus boosting our plans of bringing the world to Onitsha to experience our rich cultural heritage, and enhancing the growth and development of our community

 

Maduako Igbokwe l  Sunday, October 23, 2022

 

ONITSHA, Anambra – Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Ugochukwu Achebe, Agbogidi has described his 20-year reign as the traditional ruler of Onitsha as a journey of leadership change with the sole purpose of fast-forwarding the  ancient traditional society to the 21st century.

In an address at his 2022 Ofala, the 81 years monarch said there is no end in sight to positive change, because it is a continuous process.

‘’We have to anticipate and be apace with change, else change will overtake us.On ascending the throne, I defined a personal ruling philosophy of “Peace and Reconciliation based on Truth and Transparency as a Foundation for Sustainable Development’’.

‘’Drawing from this philosophy, we have shaped a vision of re-inventing and re-positioning the Onicha Ado N’Idu kingdom.  We have applied modern management and leadership principles to traditional governance and the progressive evolution of the culture of our people” he said.

According to the traditional ruler, the basics in the re-invention and re-positioning involved the rebuilding of trust amongst the populace, resolution of long-standing disputes within and between kindred families and villages, engendering general reconciliation, reformation and re-focusing of our youths’ aspirations and energy.

Others include the palace redevelopment as a symbol of change, the re-definition of our community as physical and virtual, and the promotion of self-pride and the spirit of Onicha-ness.

The monarch said that vision was pursued through various initiatives over several years.

He achieved this through youth development workshops, physical and virtual town hall meetings, think-tank strategy sessions, engagements with Onicha indigenes outside of the homesteads, and annual conference.

Igwe Achebe explained that the objective has been further enhanced by the endorsement of the Ofala by the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) as a major Nigerian festival, thus boosting our plans of bringing the world to Onitsha to experience our rich cultural heritage, and enhancing the growth and development of our community.

He also said there is a second reason why this year’s Ofala is distinctive.

‘’I ascended this throne of Ezechima, the founding father of Onicha Ado N’Idu, twenty years ago on May 14, 2002, which coincidentally was also my 61st birthday.  Thus, I have chosen to formally mark this milestone anniversary with the 2022 Ofala festival as the pedestal for thanksgiving and celebration” he stated.

He explained that he achieved this laudable objective through establishment of an Economic Empowerment Programme in line with the  strategy of taking Onitsha through the 21st Century, using the already existing Onitsha Advancement Foundation (OnAF) as the platform for action”, he said, stressing that the Onitsha Advancement Foundation (OnAF) was earlier established and duly registered as a not-for-profit organization with the Corporate Affairs Commission in 2014, by the Onitsha Traditional Council, with two major objectives, to support the funding and education of deserving Onitsha indigenes at post-graduate degree levels in all fields of endeavour with a focus on excellence.