Onicha Ofala Organisers Unveil 2026 Festival Theme, Date
Organisers of the Ofala Onicha says Ime Obi Onicha, the Palace of the Obi of Onitsha,
has approved: Igba Mbo,
Iga N’iru as the official theme for the 2026 edition of the festival.
Chief Okechukwu-Mike Areh, the Chairman of the Ofala Steering Committee also said the festival would hold on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026,
Areh said the theme “igba mbo, iga n’iru captures our collective resolve from ‘Resilience to Progress’, was a call on every Onicha indigene to strive forward and advance their heritage and future together.
The statement which was signed by Nnemeka Maduegbuna
Chairman, Ofala Strategic Marketing and Communications Subcommittee described Ofala as the highpoint of the Onitsha ceremonial cycle.
It said the event was primarily a celebration by the monarch and his subjects of the Obi’s annual
emergence from seclusion, ‘inyepu ukwu na nlo eze’ during which the monarch has successfully negotiated the fortunes of the kingdom.
“The festival also reenacts the joy shared by the monarch and his people at the discovery that yam is non-toxic and a valuable source of food.
“It serves as a rite of renewal for the Obi and a renewal ofbonds between the throne and the people of Onicha.
“Whilst retaining its essence as an annual traditional and ritual obligation, Ofala hasevolved into a major festival encompassing many events,” it said.
It said the events of the festival now included aninternational art exhibition Oreze, the Ofala Youth Carnival, and the Ofala Medical, Health and Wellbeing Community Outreach.
He said more information was available athttps://ofala.org/
