It was a day of cultural display at this year’s Afia-Olu National
Festival of Oraifite Community in Ekwusigo Local Government Area of
Anambra State.
Afia-Olu is one of the most famous cultural festivals in Anedo clan of
Nnewi, Orafite and Amachi communities in Ekwusigo and Nnewi Local
Government Area of the state.
Though this year’s festival was not graced by the Federal Government,
but the celebration marked the median edition of the Oraifite Afia-Olu
as a national festival.
According to the President General, Dr. Jap Okolo, this year’s
celebration would be appropriately described as the Copernican
turningpoint in the celebration of the age-long festival.
Afia-Olu Festival was adopted as a national festival in 2014 by the then Minister of Culture and Tourism, High Chief Edem Duke.
Oraifite, the home town of many prominent people including Sir Emeka
Offor is the second largest town of the four communities that make up
the present Ekwusigo Local Government.
It enjoys a common cultural heritage with Nnewi, the home town of the
late Igbo leader, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, the Ikemba Nnewi.
Afia-Olu is a festival celebrated to mark the end of the planting season.
Oriental News gathered that the festival before now kicks-off on the last (Eke), a market day in Igboland in August.
However, because of the variance between the native market days and the
modern weekdays as well as its elevation to its present national status,
the community recently in a motion at its General Assembly adopted and
resolved that the grand finale of the Oraifite national festival shall
be celebrated on the third day of August every year.
According to the President-General of the town, Dr. Okolo, this was made
to accommodate the interest of civil servants, friends and well-wishers
who may feel more disposed to having the festival on Saturdays.
He disclosed that during the period in the community each family
prepares delicious foods for their visiting friends and relations that
offered them helping hands during the planting season.
These delicacies are usually served with palm wine after which everybody
will move to the village square, now Oraifite Centre, where various
masquerades and traditional dancing groups avail themselves the
opportunity to showcase their cultural dances.
Dr Okolo in his welcome address recalled a popular Igbo adage which says
that “anyone that climbs an Iroko tree should fetch as much firewood as
possible because climbing an Iroko tree is not a task that one performs
on daily basis.”
He, therefore, appealed to the Federal Government to fulfill the pledge
of assisting the Oraifite Improvement Union (O.I.U.) financially in the
celebration of the national festival with the sum of N5 million every
year,” adding that “we are yet to receive any amount for the
organization of this year’s festival”.
He also used the opportunity to appreciate the governor of Anambra
State, Chief Willie Obiano for the gigantic strides he took on
assumption of office in the security and health sectors.
“Our amiable governor deserves to be commended for tackling the
deplorable security situation of Onitsha town with dispatch,” he said.
He noted that in Oraifite community, the asphalting of the Oraifite
portion of the Ekwusigo link road and the Justice Nwazota to Nkwo Edo
road awarded by the administration of the former Governor Peter Obi were
being pursued with vigour by Obiano, but regretted that recently the
contractors demobilized their workers from the construction sites.
His words: “We are worried by this development, but may we like Oliver
Twist plead that His Excellency looks with favour upon us and approve
the construction and asphalting of the following roads to assist famers
in moving their agricultural products to commercial towns.
“They are Akwa Ozubulu to Isingwu Oraifite road. This 4.2km road will
help to decongest the traffic-laden upper Iweka round-about by serving
as a good diversion for people going to numerous towns in the state from
the River Niger bridge in Onitsha through Atani and for conveying
agricultural produce from the riverine parts of the town to other parts
of the state.”
Looking at the health sector, the president general said that the
Oraifite General Hospital could properly be described as a hospital for
the dead and not for the living as the only functional department in the
health institution was the mortuary.
“Consequently, we humbly request for the provision of the necessary
equipment and materials in the hospital as this will positively touch
the lives of our people.
“Finally, may we repeat our appeal to both the Federal and Anambra State
governments to address the problem posed by many gully erosions in
Oraifite. There are about 51 documented active erosion sites in this
town.
“The most active of these is Olioba gully erosion in Ibollo. This one is
presently threatening to divide the Onitsha-Owerri road and is very
close to a PHCN transmission tower. It is over 100m wide, 80m deep and
has travelled over 1km distance in less than 6yrs (i.e. after the
dualisation of Onitsha – Owerri road).
“It has already devastated our farmlands, economic trees and cash crops.
We were made to understand that a contractor has been engaged to deal
with this erosion menace, but the work is moving at snail speed. Please
we need your intervention so that we do not become refugees in our land.
“We wish to express our profound gratitude to Sir. Emeka Offor for being
a great pillar of support to OIU through his numerous contributions,
including promising to re-roof the Civic Center main building single
handedly,” he said.
Speaking, Governor Obiano assured the Oraifite people of his total
commitment to ensure that developmental projects get to all the 177
communities in the state.
Obiano who was represented at the occasion by his Special Adviser on
Town Union and Chieftaincy Matters, Mr Ikechukwu Onyeabor, described
‘Afia-Olu’ festival as a worthy Igbo culture and thanked the Federal
Government for adopting it as a national festival.
The Obi of Oraifite, Igwe (Dr) Dan Udorji listed the significance of
‘Afia-Olu’ festival to include a period of cultural revival in the
community as well as a time for the mass return of the people of the
community to celebrate and thank God not only for the end of the
planting season but for their lives and God’s blessing unto them.
