The President-General of Orji Autonomous Community of URATTA Clan in Owerri North Local Government Area of Imo State in Nigeria’s South East region, Nazi Leonard Oguike, bubbled with excitement as he revealed in this exclusive interview with National Newsblast that Ambassador Jerry Osuji, National Secretary-General of Uratta Development Union (UDU) and Chairman of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) of the Onwa Oru Uratta Festival 2026, introduced many commendable innovations that made the event a historic grand success. Excerpts.
Q—Sir, may we please know your name?
A–My name is Nazi Leonard Oguike.
Q–What is your role in this event?
A–I am the President-General of Orji Autonomous Community. I am a member of the Onwa Oru Uratta Festival Planning Committee at the Uratta Development Union level.
Q–What can you tell us about this event?
A–This event is wonderful ceremony that dates back to ages. Our forevears used Onwa Oru Uratta Festival as a preparation for the farming season. It is a time that we appease the Almighty God for a safe farming season for abundant bumper harvest at the end of the farming season. So, this is a period that we socialize.
You can see our maidens. We call them the Mgboto. They come here, dance, display themselves and through socialization, the males who are of age to marry, will reach out to them and pick wives from among them. That is one other significance.
There is an event called Ike Ukwu Obih that is handled by the Mgboto. The Mgboto are the Umu Ada of the clan. So, any woman that is of marital age that performs that rite, within the period before the next Onwa Oru event must surely get married. That is one very significant importance of this event.
Q–What would you say stands out this event from previous ones?
A–This year, a lot of innovations were introduced. For instance, at Orji level, I set up a Local Organizing Committee (LOC) led by Ambassador Jerry Osuji. He introduced a lot of innovations. His ideas which are very transformative, made us to realize a lot of funds that we could use to showcase what we did here today.
The other communities are even envying us, telling us that our stand is very rich. It is all courtesy to the good initiatives of Ambassador Jerry Osuji. Yes, he introduced a lot of good things that we have never seen before and we are hoping that moving forward, going forward, we will no longer continue begging people for money to organize this event.