Ofala festival: Commoner’s last hope in Ukpo
But the Ofala festival at Ukpo Kingdom in Dunukofia Local Government Area of Anambra State has gone beyond that. Ofala in Ukpo now serves as the last hope of the poor in that community. The weak, the old, orphans, the less-privileged, widows and widowers that spoke to Weekly Trust said the festival at Ukpo offers […]
But the Ofala festival at Ukpo Kingdom in Dunukofia Local Government Area of Anambra State has gone beyond that. Ofala in Ukpo now serves as the last hope of the poor in that community. The weak, the old, orphans, the less-privileged, widows and widowers that spoke to Weekly Trust said the festival at Ukpo offers them the opportunity of making the highest money in the year.
While the festival is mainly celebrated in other parts of Igbo land to mark an additional year for the Igwe on his throne by rolling out the drums, masquerades, the young and the old in their beautiful dresses dance, drink and snap pictures, but in Ukpo kingdom, the Igwe, Dr R. C. Eze Okofia VI, and his younger brother, Prince (Dr) Arthur Eze, the chairman and chief executive officer of defunct Triax Airline have successfully changed the Ofala day in the kingdom to a merrymaking day for the poor. They dine with them and distribute clothes, money, food items and pay school fees for the children of the poor.
It was Saturday, December 19 as early as 8am when children of the poor, the elderly in the society, the less-privileged, the physically-challenged, veterans of the Biafran Army that suffered various forms of deformation during the civil war, widows and widowers and students that need financial support to pay school fees and buy books and other learning materials, occupied the hundreds of chairs arranged in front of the country home residence of Chief Arthur Eze.
Assorted food was served to the crowd. As they were eating, the chief supported by his personal staff and policemen around the area moved from one chair to the other distributing clothes, food items and later money ranging from N2,000 to N10,000.
Whoever received his or her own share of the gift bowed to greet the chief and depart the scene immediately. Barely one hour later, traditional rulers from all parts of the eastern states and delegations from the Lamido of Adamawa, Borno and Kano emirates were seated at the palace of the Igwe. The most senior prince of the land, Chief Arthur Eze, had just finished breakfast with thousands of commoners from the kingdom and other adjoining towns and villages that came to eat the kind of food they say they only see and eat during Ofala.
A onetime councillor of the area, Hon. Abel Chukwu, said the Ofala festival is celebrated everywhere in Igbo land only to mark the anniversary of the coronation of the traditional ruler of the area. He said the festival in Ukpo was modernised by Chief Eze and the traditional council of Ukpo to provide an avenue for the less-privileged in the community to dine with the rich and highly-placed and also to collect gifts that they may use to turn around their lives for the better.
“Precisely, Ofala festival is an annual event for the remembrance of the installation of an Igwe. But it is not necessary that when an Igwe is installed on April 1st, for example, Ofala must also take place on April 1st. The Igwe and the traditional council may decide to shift the date of the Ofala from April 1st to a more convenient date like three days to or after Christmas when all the people from the area might have come back home on a visit.
“Like the case of Ukpo, our Ofala festival takes place in December when we know that most of the sons and daughters are at home for Christmas to witness the Ofala festival.
“Ofala is not just a merrymaking festival. It is an avenue for the Igwe to give an account of his stewardship to the community. He tells the people at the festival the major decisions taken by the palace on matters that affect the people. It is also at the festival that they will announce about any son or daughter of the community that excelled in life either by getting a big appointment or winning a major contract that could lead to helping people from the area.
“It is also at the festival that you would see people you have not seen for a long time. Visiting traditional rulers are individuals from other kingdoms who also use the opportunity to strengthen relationships with our people,” he said.
Chukwu said while the commoners in other kingdoms donate food items to the king during the Ofala festival in their area, the Igwe of Ukpo is the one that distributes food to the commoners in his community. He said the Ofala in Ukpo also enables commoners in that community to have access to every part of the Igwe’s palace, including his bedroom. Chukwu who conducted this reporter round the palace said it is only on Ofala day that one can have access to the innermost part of the palace.
By the time the crowd finally settlesd down for the festival at the palace, the 18 canopies mounted within the premises of the palace were filled to capacity with people. Suddenly, the town crier who had earlier positioned himself by the large wooden drum started beating it to signify the appearance of Dr R. C. Eze, the Igwe of Ukpo. A team of elderly men immediately took elephant trumpets to task by blowing the over 10 trumpets continuously to confirm the public appearance of the Igwe. Everybody was on his feet as the Igwe took his seat.
Shortly after the traditional breaking of the kola nuts and its blessing by the Igwe which signifies the beginning of every event in all palaces in Southern Nigeria, the Ukpo Improvement Union that represents the interest of commoners in that community gave a clean account of the year 2009, saying under the private security arrangement done by the union by providing the services of vigilante groups to guard the town and other surrounding villages, security in the area has been near perfect.
The Igwe in his response noted that the 2009 Ofala festival was the 18th one he was celebrating on the throne. He commended the people for maintaining peace among them and with other communities, adding, “The Ukpo Improvement Union has just presented their address read by the President General. I thank them for all that was said and for their zeal and efforts toward the development of this community. Their reorganisation and empowerment of the vigilante service is yielding good results hence the recent remark that ours is a low-crime community. Expectations are very high and I am confident of their ability to perform creditably.
“I joined the President General of the improvement union to call on the state government to complete the uncompleted Ukpo junction to Oye Agu road and the Abagana to Ukpo to Awkuzu road project. We pray that government will put in efforts to ensure their immediate completion.
“The peaceful conduct of the forthcoming gubernatorial election in our state is of deep concern to all well-meaning people. It calls for fervent prayer and fasting that God’s will shall prevail. We shall hope for the best,” he said.
The Igwe, accompanied by other traditional rulers from both the east and northern states, danced round the palace in a procession. The procession that passed in front of the standing statues of the ancient rulers of the kingdom was cheered by thousands of people that assembled to watch the festival. The standing statues were those of Igwe Eze Odugwu, the Eze Ukpo Dunukofia that ruled the kingdom up to 1870. Igwe M. A. Eze, whose statue stood second, was born in 1900 and succeeded his father as Igwe on October 9, 1920. Dr Walter Chukwunweze Eze that was born in 1925 ruled as Igwe up to 1991.
Some veterans of the defunct Biafran Army from the kingdom who fought in the civil war were also at the festival and most of them were on wheelchairs. So many villages and towns’ traditional dancers, drummers, masquerades and youths associations were at the event exhibiting their various skills. Some of the people from northern states that were seen at the festival said they escorted their loved ones who are from Ukpo to attend the festival. Musa Abdullahi Hadejia who works with a Federal Government agency in Abuja said he escorted one Nkechi to the festival.
“She is my fiancée. I escorted her to the festival because most of her sisters and brothers that live abroad told us they were coming home for the festival. We want to use the opportunity to do our formal introduction and later the native marriage. I am here with seven of my friends from the north. I think other traditional rulers from the north should copy from the Ofala festival and introduce a system where they will be meeting with their people and also give account of their stewardship annually. That will change so many things,” he said.