The Iyase of Ogwashi – Uku Kingdom, in Aniocha South local government area of Delta state, High Chief Mike Nwaukoni, has called on the federal and state governments to upgrade the rich cultural endowments of his people to International standards to boost tourism and enhance foreign exchange earnings for the country.
Chief Nwaukoni, who made the call while speaking to Journalists at the just concluded annual Ineh festival of the people of Ogwashi – Uku,
said the cultural heritage of the people, which he described as an age-long valued identity, should be aggressively projected and promoted to the global community.
He said the Ineh festival was inherited from the forebears of the kingdom as a specific period to thank God for His bountiful blessings at the end of every farming season and the beginning of another calendar year of anticipated fruitful yields.
The Iyase admonished the people to continue to preserve the festival as their cultural identity and desist from acts that could erode archival trade marks and peoples’ identity.
Chief Nwaukoni also urged his people to remain resilient, dogged and undaunted in the face of multi dimensional challenges, insisting that they should not despair but keep hope alive for a better tomorrow.
A former Commissioner in Delta State, Chief Fred Majemite, who also spoke to Journalists, hailed Chief Nwaukoni for his consistency in celebrating the annual Ineh festival, adding that his land marks people-oriented development initiatives in Ogwashi – Uku kingdom had further endeared him to the people at the grassroots.
For his part, the Secretary General of the Ogwashi – Uku Development Union, Worldwide, Mr Elue Adigwe, extolled the impeccable leadership qualities of Chief Nwaukoni, adding that as the Iyase of the Kingdom he had provided quality leadership of the people, particularly in the area of development of infrastructure, promotion of peaceful co- existence, justice and equity.
Mr Adigwe explained that the annual Ineh festival provided an ample opportunity for the Iyase to host and celebrate with his kith and kin from across the world.
As part of the celebration, the Chief Celebrant, accompanied by his wife, family members and well wishers moved in a procession from his palace to the ancient Ogwashi – Uku Palace, where he paid obeisance to past traditional rulers of the kingdom.
The carnival-like festival featured several activities, including visits by Chiefs and title holders to the Iyase, prayers and merry making.
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