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Culture: Obi of Onitsha unveils sculpture of Ijele masquerade in Enugu
The Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Achebe, on Friday, unveiled an imposing, life-size metallic sculpture of an Ijele masquerade at Onuasata Round About, Obiagu in Enugu.
The artwork, which was so beautifully adorned with stripes of multiple colours, was part of the State Government’s strategic efforts to boost and uphold the Igbo tradition and culture as well as tourism in the area.
In a speech at the colourful ceremony, Achebe extolled Gov. Peter Mbah of Enugu State “for his massive infrastructure development of the state”.
According to him, the effort had begun to restore the lost glory of the Coal City, placing it as the headquarters of Ndigbo and the entire former Eastern Region.
The royal father said that the sculpture represents the rich cultural heritage of the great people of Igboland, who see the Ijele as a valuable and magnificent masquerade.
He further said that the Ijele, which commads greater respect than other masquerades in Igboland, was embedded with everything pertaining to humanity.
“Unarguably, Enugu is the headquarters of the Igbo land.
“It was God that destined it to be so.
“On that note, anything that will make Enugu to be great is of utmost importance to every Igboman, and that is why I am here.
“Ijele masquerade is the biggest of all the masquerades, and it is peculiar to Anambra and Enugu State, and there is a reason we own the masquerade.
“Everything pertaining to humans is in Ijele, and the story surrounding it is endless.
“That was the reason it is regarded as the biggest.
“So, we thank Mbah, who is also an Ijele himself, for making this possible and also making the state and Igboland a beautiful place,” Achebe said.
The Chairman of the Enugu State Council of Traditional Rulers, Igwe Samuel Asadu, said that the traditional rulers of the region were present at the event because of the dignity the sculpture accords to the culture of the people.
Asadu, who also doubles as the Chairman of the South East Council of Traditional Rulers, described the unveiling as epoch-making, aimed at telling the world the richness of Igbo culture and significance of the masquerade to the land and its people.
“We, the traditional rulers in Enugu State and, indeed, the South-East are here to witness this epoch-making event that signifies our culture.
“We thank the governor for his good work in the state. This signifies our rich cultural heritage,” he said.
Earlier, the Chairperson, Enugu State Tourism Board, Dame Rita Mbah, said that the Ijele sculpture was in line with the effort by the Mbah’s administration to make the state “a place rich in arts and culture as well as premier destination for tourism”.
She said that the location of the sculpture was chosen because it was a place the people converge to watch masquerades perform during festivities.
“The concept behind this work is that the Ogui people are known for their Ogene and masquerades.
“Enugu people are generally known for their culture.
“So, we decided to put this wonderful edifice here.
“Do not forget that this is a place where Enugu people and tourists alike converge during festive periods to watch masquerades.
“For that reason, we deemed it fit to put this wonderful Ijele masquerade here,” Mbah said.
Also speaking, Igwe Emmanuel Ugwu, the Chairman, Enugu East Traditional Rulers, and the traditional ruler of Ibagwa Nike Community, thanked the governor and his team for upholding the culture of the people with the unveiling of the Ijele boldly erected in Nike land.
“This place we are standing is a centre where the Nike people gather to celebrate their masquerades.
“Every traditional ruler is Ijele; every leader is Ijele.
“This is a way of attracting tourists to know that Enugu is a cultural home, where you can come and have fun.
“Enugu is a very important city and an administrative headquarters, not only of the present-day South-East, but the defunct Eastern Region, and at a point the entire South, except Lagos.
“So, today, the governor did something unique by highlighting the place of Ijele and the place of Enugu in our history,” he said. (NAN)
Boko Haram terrorists are holding authorities in some communities in three local government areas of Borno State, according to Senator Ali Ndume.
The Borno South lawmaker said this on Friday when he was featured on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
According to him, there are no civil authorities in those areas, which he said are being governed by the terrorists.
“Yes, three,” he said on Friday’s edition of the show when asked if areas are being governed by the Boko Haram terrorists in the North-East state.
“What we are saying is that there is no civil authority there, and the authority is Boko Haram,” the Borno South Senator said.
He listed the areas as “Gudumbali (in Guzamala LGA), Marte, and Abadam”.
“None,” he said when asked if there are civil authority in these areas.
Senator Ndume said the security agencies are not properly equipped to tackle the insurgency, which he decried is beginning to fester in the North-East state.
His comment came days after the Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, decried the rising spate of insecurity in the area.
The governor said the state is losing ground in the fight against Boko Haram, asking for help.
“As I address this important gathering today, it is unfortunate that the renewed Boko Haram attacks and kidnappings in many communities almost on a daily basis without confrontation signalled that Borno State is losing ground,” the governor said, a fact Ndume agrees with.
During the show, the vocal lawmaker of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) said there have been hundreds of attacks in Borno State since the beginning of the year.
“From November last year till date, there were over 250 attacks in the state, and somebody is saying we should ignore the governor,” the APC chieftain said.
“We have lost more than 100 soldiers, nearly 300 civilians even though our soldiers gallantly killed 800 of those terrorists within this period.”
“It is like a stagnated situation,” he said about the state of security in the country, arguing that President Bola Tinubu should declare a state of emergency on security, the welfare of the citizens, and the economy.
….He remains adorable figures in the north
Senator Ali Ndume has asked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to be worried if ex-President Muhamamdu Buhari is not on his side.
Speaking during an interview on Channels TV’s Politics Today, the lawmaker said although Buhari has just one vote, he remains an adorable figure in Northern Nigeria.
Ndume spoke after former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar led key opposition figures to Buhari’s residence in Kaduna, on Friday.
The senator said he was also planning a visit to Buhari.
He said, “Buhari’s followership has diminished naturally because it is different when you are not in power and after spending like eight years in power. Of course his popularity, everything has diminished, it is natural, but you can’t write him off especially with the Northern masses. The followership of Buhari has been occultic. You cannot explain it.
“If Buhari is coming here now, you will see people rushing to see. Everybody including those in the vegetable market will rush here. Buhari is still with the Talakawas
“Tinubu should be worried if Buhari is not on his side. Every number counts and Buhari has one vote. Tinubu should also be worried about my position. Because I have one vote for him. He does not have a vote for me.”
Elanza News learnt that there were concerns over the potential exit of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) bloc from the APC.
This was amplified following a recent meeting between former Buhari and APC governors.
The visit, which took place on Monday in Kaduna, was initially perceived as a routine courtesy call but has since sparked speculation about its deeper purpose.
It was gathered that the governors reportedly sought Buhari’s intervention to halt defections from the party, particularly by key members of the CPC bloc.
The governors’ appeal reportedly arose from growing concerns about potential defections ahead of the 2027 general elections. The defunct CPC, a key bloc within APC, remains highly influential, with Buhari regarded as its central figure.
There are fears within APC that the exit of this bloc could spell disaster for the party on a national scale.
The Monday meeting took place amid a wave of defections by Buhari’s allies from APC to SDP. Former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai was the first to publicly announce his departure, claiming he had secured Buhari’s blessing before leaving the party.
Several former ministers who served in Buhari’s cabinet are also reportedly finalising plans to join the SDP, and in Buhari’s home state of Katsina, numerous APC members have already defected to the SDP.
The CPC, founded in 2009, merged in February 2013 with the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), a faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), and the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) to form what is now known as the APC.
Elanza News gathered that the governors feared Buhari’s enduring cult-like followership in the North could become a major liability for APC if he backs his CPC associates. His bloc vote, they feared, could be catastrophic for the party in 2027.
It was gathered that the governors specifically urged Buhari to dissuade his CPC associates from leaving APC. However, the former president reportedly declined to make any such commitment.
While reaffirming his loyalty to APC, he insisted that others must be allowed to make their own political choices—a principle he said he has upheld throughout his political career.
Meanwhile, Buhari has said he remains a committed member of the ruling APC.
In a statement by Garba Shehu, his spokesman, Buhari was quoted to have said after Wl-Rufai’s defection, he would never turn his back on the APCy that gave him the platform to become Nigeria’s number one citizen.
The federal government has constituted a sub-committee to evaluate the potential economic impact of the recent tariff measures announced by the United States government.
The decision followed a meeting of the Economic Management Team (EMT), chaired by Wale Edun, minister of finance and coordinating minister of the economy, according to a statement issued on Friday by Mohammed Manga, director of information and public relations at the ministry.
On April 2, US President Donald Trump announced sweeping global tariffs on all imports into the country, including Nigeria.
A few days later, Edun said Nigeria is well-positioned to withstand global trade disruptions, including the United States import tariffs.
He said plans were underway for possible budget adjustment and prioritisation where possible.
To assess the impact of the tariffs, Manga said the EMT convened earlier in the week with key ministries and agencies to review the fiscal and macroeconomic implications of emerging global trade dynamics.
He said the EMT noted that while Nigeria’s major export — crude oil — has not been directly targeted by the new US tariffs, the policy shift has coincided with a dip in international oil prices, raising concern over potential revenue and budgetary pressures.
“To support evidence-based policymaking, the EMT has established a sub-committee tasked with conducting a detailed review of the direct and indirect economic impacts of both the emerging tariff measures and the global commodity price shifts,” Manga said.
“The sub-committee includes representatives from the ministry of finance, ministry of budget and economic planning, (including budget office of the Federation), and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).”
Manga also said the sub-committee has already held its inaugural meeting and is expected to present its findings to the full EMT without delay.