Otolokpo Community showcases rich cultural heritage

• Reiterates Commitment To Sustaining Carnival 

The President-General of the Otolokpo Development Union (ODU), David Igbodo, has reiterated the community’s commitment to sustaining the Otolokpo Carnival as a platform for cultural renaissance and communal harmony.

Speaking during the 2024 edition of the Otolokpo Carnival, which was held in the Otolokpo community in Ika North-East Local Council of Delta State, Igbodo, who also serves as the Chairman of the State Public Procurement Commission, emphasised the event’s significance in preserving the rich heritage of the Otolokpo Kingdom.

The three-day festival, which featured cultural displays, music, medical outreach marathons, conferences, and artistic performances, among others, attracted participants from across the country and the Diaspora.

Igbodo, who is a retired Assistant Inspector General of Police, said: “The objective of this carnival is to bring together our people at home and abroad to witness and celebrate the diverse cultures of the Otolokpo Kingdom.

“We also conducted medical outreach programmes to assist indigent individuals in Otolokpo who cannot access treatment for common ailments.

“Additionally, we organised empowerment initiatives to help people enjoy their Christmas and New Year celebrations,” he said. Igbodo urged young men and women from the kingdom to invest in building homes in Otolokpo, ensuring their continued connection to the community.

In his remarks, the traditional ruler of Otolokpo, HRM Obi Collins Ezenwali, commended the carnival as a unifying force, bringing together sons and daughters of the kingdom.
“For too long, we have embraced foreign cultures, but it is now time for the world to embrace ours.

‘’Our culture is our pride and heritage, and we must practise it with pride,” the monarch told journalists.

He encouraged his subjects outside Otolokpo to return home yearly for the festivities and contribute to the kingdom’s development.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of Ika North-East Local Council, Monday Odigwe, commended Obi Ezenwali, ODU, and the carnival’s planning committee for their visionary efforts in organising the Otolokpo Day celebration.

He emphasised that the local government is committed to supporting communities in Ika North-East that take proactive steps towards preserving and promoting their cultural heritage.

Similarly, Chairman of the Planning Committee, Jude Osafiele, highlighted the carnival’s role in successfully resolving past grievances among the seven quarters of Otolokpo Kingdom. He commended the state government for its interventions in the community and further appealed for more efforts in addressing the challenges of rural-urban migration, particularly among the youths.

“The youth population in Otolokpo has significantly declined. With enhanced infrastructural development, the trend can be reversed, and young people will have reasons to remain in the community,” he said.

In the same vein, an indigene of Otolokpo and the Marketing Director of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), Chukwuchendu Alizor, expressed his pride in the event.

“As a member of the planning committee, I have consistently advocated for the promotion and preservation of our cultural heritage,”  he said.

“This carnival should not end with us but must be sustained for future generations’’ Alizor said.

The carnival reached its climax with cultural performances from the Ogele Cultural Troupe with the Gorilla masquerade exciting the crowds, as well as exhilarating performances from the Otu-Abada Cultural Troupe and the Itsekiri Dance Group, among others.