Onitsha’s Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe has praised Globacom for 15 consecutive years of sponsoring the Ofala Festival and promoting Igbo cultural heritage
Ofala Festival: Igwe Achebe Hails Globacom’s 15 Years of Sponsorship
By Lukman OMIKUNLE
The traditional ruler of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe, has commended telecommunications company Globacom for its role in transforming the Ofala Festival into an internationally recognised celebration of Igbo culture, marking 15 consecutive years of the company’s sponsorship.
Speaking at the 2026 Ofala Festival at Ime Obi, Onitsha, Anambra State, on Friday, Achebe praised Globacom for sustaining its partnership with the historic cultural event since 2011, saying the collaboration had helped preserve its traditions while expanding its global reach.
“Their partnership has transformed the festival from a palace ritual to a world-renowned cultural festival owes a great deal to purposeful partnership. Since 2011, Globacom has stood with us as our principal partner – now fifteen consecutive years of unwavering commitment,” the monarch said.
He added that the company had supported the festival through changing circumstances while helping improve its presentation, documentation and broadcast to wider audiences.
“In good times and challenging times, Globacom has helped us preserve the authenticity of Ofala while enhancing its presentation, documentation, broadcast and global reach. They have helped take a living heritage to the global stage,” he said.
Achebe also praised Globacom Chairman, Dr Mike Adenuga Jr., for supporting the preservation and promotion of Nigeria’s cultural heritage.
“I thank Globacom and its Chairman, Otunba (Dr) Mike Adenuga, Jr., GCON, a true man of culture, for his vision and belief that culture is not a luxury but a foundation for unity,” the monarch stated.
The 2026 festival is themed “Igba Mbo, Iga N’Iru”, meaning “Strive and Advance”. Achebe said the theme encourages hard work, excellence, personal development and collective progress.
He described it as “a call to industry, to excellence, to self-improvement and to collective progress. It reflects the spirit of our forebears who built a kingdom on the Niger, and it speaks to our youth who must carry that heritage forward with enterprise and purpose”.
In his goodwill message to the monarch and the people of Onitsha, Adenuga described Globacom’s longstanding involvement in the festival as more than a corporate sponsorship arrangement.
“Our association with the Ofala Festival since 2011 has been much more than a corporate partnership. It has been a relationship which we cherish deeply and regard as a privilege,” he said.
Adenuga thanked Achebe for giving the company the opportunity to contribute to preserving and promoting the community’s cultural heritage.
“It gives us great satisfaction to join Your Majesty and the people of Onitsha each year in showcasing to Nigeria, Africa and the wider world the beauty, dignity and enduring values represented by Ofala,” he concluded.
Globacom’s 15-year involvement has coincided with efforts to expand the festival’s reach through media coverage and broader public engagement, while maintaining its significance as a major celebration of Onitsha’s history, identity and traditions.
