Iwaji/Obiora Cultural Festival Kicks Off In Obosi

By Chuks Eke

The grand finale of activities marking this year’s 2024 Iwaji/Obiora annual cultural festival of the Obosi Community in Anambra State’s Idemili North Local Government Area takes place today, Saturday, October 26, at Afor Adike Market Field in Obosi.

The weeklong activities began last Sunday with a youth funfair, which featured various cultural dances performed by the youths to highlight Obosi’s rich cultural heritage.

Adorned with different types of cultural regalia, the youths who split themselves into various cultural troupes exhibited their different dancing styles with youthful exuberance to the admiration of the traditional ruler of Obosi, His Royal Majesty, HRM, Igwe Chidubem Iweka (Eze Iweka III, Eze Obosi) at his place.

The youths performed a variety of dances, including the Egbenuoba masquerade dance troupe, Ndi hie N’abumadu men youth dance troupe, Otuodu youth women dance troupe, Yoruba youth men/women dance troupe, and Efik/Ibibio men/women dance troupe, among other cultural dance troupes.

Eze Iweka, who sat on his throne and watched the dance troupes perform one after the other and in some cases joined in the dancing, then advised youths to avoid violence, drug abuse and trafficking, armed robbery, kidnappings, cultism, and other criminal acts, emphasising that no amount of economic hardship can be used as an excuse to commit a crime.

Also speaking were Igwe’s wife Lolo Iweka, a titled Chief from Obosi, Chief Hyacinth Udemba (Akamkposi Obosi), and the Palace Secretary, Chief Shedrack Igwebuike Okenwa. They noted that the youth carnival would serve as a unifying factor between Ndigbo and other tribes in addition to displaying rich cultural heritage.

Ochogwu stated that the Situation Room will serve as a centralised hub for collecting and analysing data on potential conflict hotspots across the country.

He stated that “by utilising advanced technology and data analytics, we hope to identify emerging threats and provide timely responses to prevent escalation.”

“The Early Warning and Early Response Situation Room will not only assist in identifying potential conflicts before they escalate but will also allow for quick and coordinated responses among relevant stakeholders,” he stated.

The DG also stated that the Situation Room staff has been equipped with the ability to effectively manage the EWSR, which is scheduled to launch on October 29.

Mr. Danjuma Dawop, Chief of Party Partner at Mercy Corps, stated that the establishment of this Situation Room is critical for Nigeria, which has faced numerous challenges such as ethnic and communal tensions, insurgency, and violence.

“So far, we have seen that effective early warning and response has prevented conflict escalation and reduced violence extremism in Nigeria,” he said.

He added that the situation room aligns with global best practices in peacebuilding and conflict resolution, and it is hoped that this proactive approach will significantly contribute to sustainable peace in Nigeria.