The Chairman of Globacom Limited, Mr. Mike Adenuga Jnr., has described the annual Onitsha Ofala Festival as a veritable vehicle for social integration and an instrument for promoting peace and community development.
Adenuga who made the remarks in Onitsha on Saturday in his goodwill message at the 2016 Ofala Festival celebrations held at the Ime Obi, Onitsha, noted that the festival had over the years fulfilled the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s (UNESCO) purpose for cultural initiatives.
For the last six years, Globacom, a telecommunications outfit founded and nurtured by the business mogul, has been the major sponsor of the Ofala Festival since 2011.
According to him, “Ofala Festival, for us in Globacom, is an important vehicle which has been used to drive social integration, promote peace and community development. But more importantly, the festival immortalises a lofty heirloom of the Onitsha people.”
The Globacom Chairman disclosed that the company’s support for Ofala “is also in line with our vision to identify with initiatives that empower us as a nation and raise future leaders who will not only be exceptional in their professional endeavours but will also be worthy ambassadors of our cultures and traditions. This was why we instituted the Glo Heritage Series to support festivals that help the realisation of this noble cause.”
He paid glowing tribute to the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe, Agbogidi, whom he said had introduced unique initiatives to the festival by expanding its scope and scale.
One of the innovations is the Oraeze Arts Exhibition, which he said had over the years enabled exhibitors to “use their works to focus Nigerians’ attention on momentous national issues and shaped narratives on how we could build a bigger and better society. “Through their creativity, the outstanding artists who have been showcased on the platform have shown that, truly, arts is life,” he said.
“Globacom is proud of the interventionist roles it has played in the promotion of arts by investing in our budding and established talents. Our latest contribution in this sphere is a television satire, Professor Johnbull. Produced in the Eastern part of Nigeria and shown weekly on the NTA Network, the television drama series is not just entertaining but also didactic. Its objective is to make people learn and laugh as they relish the drama played by top Nollywood stars to call attention to various challenges facing the nation and how we can smash our obstacles into smithereens,” Adenuga added.
In his Ofala speech, the Onitsha Monarch said that Adenuga had made personal commitments towards the success of Ofala Festival and prayed for more grace for him to be able to impact more positively on humanity.
“We are particularly thankful for the personal commitment of the Executive Chairman of Globacom, Adenuga, towards the success of Ofala Onitsha for the past six years. We pray that God continues to bless him to enable him to continue to serve humanity,” the Agbogidi prayed.
