Anambra community backs Soludo, presents Otochal Awka

Stakeholders in Awka, Anambra State capital, have thrown their weight behind the governor of the state, Prof. Charles Soludo, who, they said, has given the community more sense of belonging than his predecessors.
 
The stakeholders made this known at a public presentation of 107-year-old man, Ichieukwu Ikwunne Ijomah, to the Ozo Awka group, as the oldest living man in the community (known in local parlance as Otochal Awka).

Extant Awka traditional rulers’ law permits the oldest living legend to present staff of office to a would-be traditional ruler (Eze-Uzu Awka).

Ijomah was unanimously elected as the Otochal Awka by 33 villages of the community in a ceremony attended by Soludo, represented by his Commissioner for Culture Entertainment and Tourism, Don Onyenji, in October 2022.
 

In their separate remarks, members of Ozo Awka, including Otochal Umuogbu Village, Chinemeze Ejike and Emeka Nwosu, hailed Ijomah’s emergence, describing it as a watershed.
 
The duo disclosed that since his election, Awka has witnessed unprecedented infrastructure development, especially road construction and appointment of more indigenes in the Soludo’s administration.
 
According to them, Awka had, before his emergence, been enmeshed in crises of parallel leadership of Ozo group, Council of Kingmakers and Awka Development Union Nigeria (ADUN), as well as the Town Union; but these bodies have recognised him as Otochal Awka.