NOA IDENTIFIES WITH OGIDI MONARCH, OTHERS ON 2024 NWAFOR OGIDI FESTIVAL
Awka: Obiorah Anthony Ugwonwa
The State Director, National Orientation Agency(NOA),Awka, Mr. Edozie Ajaegbu, yesterday, July 29th ,2024 led some Management Staff of the Agency to identify with the Traditional Rulers of Ogidi in Idemmili North Local Area, Igwe Alex Onyido and others to celebrates the 2024 annual nwafor festival of the Community.
Celebrating with the Traditional Ruler, Igwe Onyido and others in his palace, the NOA State Director, Mr. Ajaegbu ,said that they come to identify with Igwe Onyido and the entire people of Ogidi Community as they celebrate their rich culture and tradition bequeathed to them by their forefathers.
The Director, who noted that the functions of the Agency, also covered the promotion of good culture and traditions of the Country, maintained that NOA would not hesitate to supporting any culture designed for peace , security and over all development of the Country.
While describing Nwafor Ogidi as a well known culture in Ogidi Community, Anambra and Nigeria at large, Mr Ajaegbu ,highlighted that the festival was designed by the forefathers of the Community for holistic progress of the town.
Receiving the NOA State Director and his team in his Palace in the course of the event, the Traditional Ruler of Ogidi, Igwe Onyido, said that Nwafor is an event the Community celebrate every year to mark the beginning of their new calender (Igwuaro) of the town .
TheTraditional Ruler, who stated that they celebrate the festival in the end of their farming season every year, affirmed that the festival was a moment when they initiate the young youths of the Community into manhood, saying that a young youth who was not initiated into masquerade in the area is not a man , rather a woman.
He added that the Community knows that before a young youth becomes a man in the Community that such a person must be intimated into masquerade (Ipkuana) so that he would have his own opinion in the Community.
The Monarch, said that the festival afford them opportunity to eat and wine together, help the young youths who want to marry to do same, points out that the Community, value Nwafor Ogidi festival than Christmas.
He stressed that because of the insecurity and unemployment on ground today in Nigeria, that they arranged for security all over the Community to ensure hitches free celebration in the town as the festival last.
According to him, sons and daughters of the Community come home every year to celebrate with their relatives at home and debunked the rumour making round that the festival is feltish and argued that the name given to the festival in the area was done by the forefathers of the Community , just like Easter.
When the NOA Director, Mr Ajaegbu, paid similar visit to the Present- General of the Ogidi Community, Chief Sir. OKoye Ikwuka in his Obi,the President -General, described Ogidi as an agriarian Community which specializes in producing yams in large quantities , maize and cocoayam years back, saying that Nwafor Ogidi festival is a moment of resting and entertainment by the people after the periods of tilling the land.
Some of the illustrious sons of the Community,Chief Vincent Obi, Chief Chris Nwangwu , Chief Kingsley Aniegbuna and Tochukwu Chioke,who spoke in the course of the event, confirmed that no meaningful son or daughter of Ogidi Community would like to miss the festival because it grants them opportunity to come together, have meetings and dialogue on how to further develop the Community as well as showcase their richly endowed traditions and culture outside the world.
In different vote of thanks,the Deputy Director Programmes,NOA,Awka,Mr.Remigus and Mr. Obiorah Ignatius,Assistant Director Programmes,thanked Igwe Onyido and President -General of the Community,Sir Ikwuka for the warning reception accorded them,pleading with them to work towards guiding the activities of the youths of Community so that the miscreants should not hijack the federal to unleash mayhem in the Community.
