Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, and his Lagos State counterpart, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, are expected to lead prominent personalities and sons and daughters of Owerri to the 2026 Mezie Owerri Oduezhi cultural festival in Lagos on Saturday.

Chairman of the Organising Committee, Engr. Dom Nkwopara, said the festival was designed to celebrate the cultural heritage of the Owerri people while providing a platform to reflect on the place of art, dialect and identity in contemporary society.

In a statement made available to journalists in Abuja, Nkwopara said the programme would begin with a colloquium on the theme, “Art, Dialect and Identity: Re-interrogating the Arts and Culture of the Owerri People in Igbo Land, Nigeria.”

According to him, the festival would combine scholarship, culture, music and entertainment, while providing an opportunity for the Owerri people to reconnect with their roots and strengthen community bonds.

He said the organisers were also using the festival to promote the preservation and transmission of Owerri’s cultural identity to younger generations.
Chief Leo Stan Ekeh, Chairman of Zinox Group, will serve as Special Guest of Honour, while HRH Eze Nnanna Oparachaekwe, Ebubedike II of Ulakwo, will be the Royal Father of the Day.

Nkwopara said community leaders, traditional institutions, professionals, media practitioners and other stakeholders were expected to participate in the gathering and use the occasion to interact and deepen relationships among Owerri people.

He said the organisers deliberately designed the festival to go beyond entertainment, stressing that it would provide a platform for cultural preservation, scholarship and community engagement.

The event will also feature performances by Owerri-born guitar sensation, Legit/Cjay, and Chimuanya, the crooner of the popular “Ayakata Bongo” sound.

Cultural dance groups representing Owerri town unions in Lagos are expected to showcase the traditions of the people, while traditional cuisine, music and other cultural displays will add colour to the celebration.

Nkwopara said the festival would ultimately serve as a meeting point for culture, scholarship and community engagement, bringing together people of Owerri extraction and friends of the community to celebrate their shared heritage.

The festival, scheduled for October 10 at the Colonnades Hotel, 21 Alfred Rewane Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, is expected to bring together community leaders, traditional rulers, professionals, cultural organisations and lovers of Igbo culture.

Former Executive Chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Dr. Sam Amadi, will deliver the keynote address, while businessman and former Minister of Interior, Captain Emmanuel Iheanacho, will chair the event.