Abia State, Arochukwu Kingdom Launch 2025 Ikeji Festival with UNESCO Ambitions

The Abia State Government and the ancient Kingdom of Arochukwu have officially launched the 2025 Ikeji Aro Okeigbo Cultural Festival with a bold goal: securing UNESCO heritage status.

This was made known during a press briefing by the Honourable Commissioner for Arts, Culture & Creative Economy, Hon. Dr. Matthew C. Ekwuribe, which was held at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Secretariat, Umuahia.

Speaking to journalists and cultural stakeholders, Dr. Ekwuribe emphasised that the administration of Governor Dr. Alex Otti is committed to not only preserving Abia’s heritage but also elevating it to global recognition.

“Under Governor Otti’s administration, we are not just preserving culture we are rebranding Abia on the global stage,” said Dr. Ekwuribe. “The Ikeji Festival is our flagship. And UNESCO recognition is not a dream it is our destination.”

Dr. Ekwuribe revealed that the State Government has already commenced beautification projects across Abia State, such as the artistic transformation of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) fence in Umuahia, executed by local artists. He also announced plans to mould and install cultural monuments that will serve as permanent symbols of Abia’s rich heritage.

“The Aro Ikeji Festival is here, and the grand finale will hold on the 26th of September 2025. We are working closely with the National Commission for Monuments and are about to sign an MoU that will revive heritage sites across Abia, such as Ulochukwu Cave in Alayi, Isiuzu Waterfall, Ibom Waterfall, Oloko Magistrate Court, Isuikwuato Waterfall, Umunneochi Cave, Azumili Blue River, Akwaete Beach, Obeaku City Lake, and Amaukwu Ekeobasi in Osisioma.”

The joint committee presented a strategic documentation plan as part of the roadmap toward UNESCO recognition. Professional ethnographers, digital archivists, and filmmakers will be deployed to record every element of the Ikeji Festival from chants and rituals to costumes and oral histories.

“UNESCO recognises living traditions that are community-driven, intergenerational, and spiritually anchored,” Dr. Ekwuribe said. “Ikeji checks every box. Our job is to present it not as folklore, but as a global heritage system.”

In his remarks, the President General of Nzuko Arochukwu Worldwide, Sir Nnadozie Udensi, lauded the Otti-led administration for investing in infrastructure that enhances access to cultural destinations.

“Governor Otti understands that culture is economy,” he said. “The roads you’ve built don’t just connect towns they connect continents to our heritage.”

Mazi Achinivu Okorafor who also serves as Chairman of the UNESCO & Culture Sub-Committee, and the Obong Ekpe unveiled the official 2025 Ikeji Festival Calendar with blessings from His Eminence, Eze Aro Dr. Eberechukwu Oji, and the Eze Aro-in-Council.

He described Ikeji as a spiritual, cultural, and tourism journey that strengthens unity among the Aro people globally. He highlighted significant days such as:

September 21 (Nkwo Nsukoro) – a bustling festival market day filled with masquerade displays. This will be filled by Eke Odu on the 22nd day of September, Orie Egbugbu on the 23rd day of September and Afor OSU on the 24th day of September.

September 25 (Nkwo Ekpe Ibom Isii Day) – featuring wrestling contests and cultural displays where suitors emerge.

September 26 (Ekekpe Aro-Okeigbo) which will be held at the Amaikpe Square Obinkita, Arochukwu Kingdom – the grand finale, where over 500 Aro communities worldwide converge, with colourful masquerades from Cameroon, Gabon, and beyond, and the revered Eze Aro makes a rare public appearance.

According to him, the Ikeji Festival is more than culture – it is a covenant of thanksgiving, unity, and identity for the Aro people.

The festival, spanning 17 days will feature an intricate sequence of ancestral rites, masquerade performances, communal feasts, and village-level cultural competitions across Arochukwu’s 19 villages.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Ikeji Publicity Sub-Committee Dr. Azubike Okoro, disclosed that the unveiling is part of a wider publicity and tourism drive to market Ikeji and Arochukwu’s cultural assets globally. The State has also partnered with Goge Africa, a prominent cultural tourism brand, to support the campaign.

Present at the meeting also included Mazi Kingsley Chijioke Oti (representing Barr. Oscar Chukwuma Okoro, Chairman of Ikeji Aro Central Planning Committee), Mazi Oba Nnaemeka (President, Nzuko Aro, Umuahia Branch), and Mazi Enyinnaya Okoro.