WRITTEN BY EMEKA ARINZE
Tomorrow, all roads will lead to the ancient city of Abatete, a home of industry, creativity and merriment, for the second Ofala festival of the traditional ruler of the town,

His Royal Majesty, Igwe Engineer Chinyelugo Emeka Efobi, Ezeogu the second of Abatete Kingdom. The programmes of the ofala, which will take place at the Igwe’s palace, Ezimuku Agbaja Abatete in Idemili North council area, shall commence by 10am with a Holy Mass.
Ofala is a period when a monarch showcases the culture of his people, and takes stock of his progress. Ofala festival is one of the most important surviving traditional ceremonies of Igbo monarchs. It is also an occasion where the indigenes of the community come together to show solidarity to their Igwe in dancing, dining, wining, paying of homage, meeting old friends and making new ones. Ofala is also a period of thanksgiving to God, for sparing the lives of the people and for a successful planting season.
Ofala Festival is an event that marks the end of the thirteenth month in Igbo calendar and the beginning of another Igbo year, hence, the festival is also tagged Igu Aro. Ofala is celebrated by the Igwe as a sign of authority and legitimacy bestowed on the traditional ruler to guide the people on the path of truth, wisdom and prosperity. In view of this, it is titled Ofo Ala, meaning the authority of the Land. During Ofala festival, Abatete sons and daughters with their families, friends, relations, Ndi nwadiana and umuada from different parts of the world assemble in the Palace of Ezeogu to celebrate this important and colourful festival.
Abatete is one of the eleven towns that make up Idemili North LGA. It is bordered by Uke, Abacha, Ogidi, Oraukwu, Alor, Ideani and Eziowele. The town is made up of four quarters: Nsukwu, Agbaja, Odida and Ogbu. Nsukwu has nine villages: Umunri, Amankpume, Enugwu, Irunnaba, Iru ute, Obeagu, Owelle ani and Umunakwa, while Agbaja has seven villages namely: Ogwugwana, Ezimuku, Ifite, Umudunu, Umuebo, Achala and Eziora. Ogbu has six villages: Ogbu Ikwele, Umulichi, Orofia, Enu Ogbu, Umu ebeke, Ireh, Otutu, while Odida has three villages viz Uruani, Urueze and Amaorah.
Abatete has rich cultural festivals. Okoli Otie was the ancestral father of Abatete, Umuoji and Nkpor. Otie had three sons: Ezeogu, which the whites wrongly spelt Edeogu, Ora and Ideke; ora is now Umuoji, while Ideke is now Nkpor. Ezeogu, Otie’s eldest son, married Mgbogo Eke and they had nine sons, namely Nsukwu, Agbaja, Isiuzo, Akwa, Azu, Ogwa, Mputu, Odida and Ogbu in that order. However, out of the nine sons of Ezeogu, only four survived to form the current four Quarters of the town, namely, Nsukwu, Agbaja, Odida and Ogbu. Over generations, the Mbateghete was corrupted to Abateghete and to Abatete.
In 1976, the Anambra state government under then Colonel John Atom Kpera as military governor, made a policy requiring every town in the state to nominate a traditional ruler for recognition. Thus, on Saturday Nkwo, June 9, 1990, Igwe Patrick Ugochukwu Mkpume of Nsukwu was recognized and coroneted as Ezeogu the first of Abatete. He joined his ancestors in 2002 and the current Igwe, Engineer Chinyelugo Emeka Efobi was coroneted in 2004. 
Abatete has four Obis, representing the four Quarters and Ndi Ichie representing each of the twenty-five wards and advisers called Ichie Okaka. Citizens of the town are very creative, industrious and ingenuous and well educated. When the world was in the dark, they developed the technology of customizing vehicles and pioneered luxury bus transport. On merchandise retailing, Abatete is a top dog. Today, Ndi Abatete excel in all fields, both in public and private sectors as well as academia.
A release signed by the Chairman, publicity committee of the 2017 ofala, Dr Law Mefor, Ichie Anueyiagu Abatete, indicates that other activities for the Ofala festival include conferment of titles, agenda setting for development of Abatete in years to come and youth empowerment, among others. Long live Igwe Efobi, long live Abatete, Long live Anambra state, long live Nigeria.

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