Mbah, Soludo, Ojukwu, Ngige Defy Heavy Downpour, Attend Igbo Day Celebration

Despite Friday’s early morning downpour in Enugu and its environs, the long-awaited 2023 Igbo Day Celebration holding in Enugu successfully kicked off around 1pm.

The downpour did not reduce the glamour of the event as Okpala Square, venue of the occasion, was filled to its capacity.

Early arrivals included the chief host, Gov Peter Mbah of Enugu State; Gov Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State; and Gov Hope Uzodimma represented by his deputy, Prof Placid Njoku.

Also present are former foreign affairs minister, Geoffrey Onyeama; wife of Biafran warlord, Amb Bianca Ojukwu; Anglican bishop of Enugu, Dr Emmanuel Chukwuma; Dr Chris Ngige, former Labour minister, among others. The chairman of the occasion, Engr Arthur Eze, is being represented by Chief Izuchukwu Nwabueze.

The event kick-started with processions and cultural displays of all the participating states: Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, Rivers, and Imo.

The national publicity secretary of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, organisers of the event, Dr Alex Ogbonnia, had said the event was to mark the pogrom of September 29, 1966 in the aftermath of the Jan 15 1966 military, which killed many Igbo sons and daughters especially in the north. He said it was to celebrate the triumph of Ndigbo despite the sad event.

He said, “We celebrate that we passed through the valley of the shadow of death and bounced back in splendor; passed through the belly of the whale; traversed turmoil and hell and bounced back in glory.

“We celebrate the courage, tenacity and adaptability to live and thrive in all parts of the world. We celebrate the promise of God that He fights for the oppressed and that history will vindicate the just.

“How come that an ethnic group that has suffered various kinds of injustice, alienation and relative deprivations have undauntedly remained afloat in the academia, corporate world, transportation, tourism, commerce and industry, etc?”