By Uzo Nnopu
This season is different in Anambra State. Bloom is the word, and the carnival on offer is coded as “Onwa Dezemba”. Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, CFR, is gifting Anambra State a festive season never seen before in the annals of the homeland. The transformative yuletide programme of Governor Soludo’s administration is deftly designed to make this Christmas unforgettable in all manifestations.
There is no gainsaying that Anambra is rising anew under the Solution Governor, Professor Soludo, the lionized leader hailed as Oluatuegwu, whose vision continues to light up the state with progress, culture, and grand celebration. This sumptuous season will be unlike any other.
It’s noteworthy to recall that before the coming of Governor Soludo, eight local government areas were held under captivity by the so-called “unknown gunmen”. The eight LGAs, namely Aguata, Ihiala, Ekwusigo, Nnewi North, Nnewi South, Ogbaru, Orumba North and Orumba South, have all been liberated by Soludo, and now is the season for statewide celebration.
The action that has been put in place to give Ndi Anambra the most memorable December experience ever has been branded “Onwa Dezemba”. The fiesta is unprecedented and spirit filling.
The magnificent festivities are to be held at the ultra-modern Solution Fun City, Awka, and the reconstructed and remodelled Ekwueme Square, amongst other venues. The repertoire on offer will include masquerade festivals, Christmas Carols, fashion shows, and musical fiestas with well-known Nigerian musicians on the platforms etc.
Anambra State’s “Onwa Dezemba” will bring Ndi-Igbo and their friends all over Nigeria and in the Diaspora flocking into Anambra State. Safety has been comprehensively guaranteed and the wide array of roads and dual carriageways and flyovers constructed by Governor Soludo will make for a well-rounded festival season. It’s fun all the way!
The tourism sector of Anambra State will be grandly boosted. The Chinua Achebe International Airport, Umueri, is poised to witness its greatest flight season ever. The international visitors will behold Anambra State in all its lustre. The homeland of Zik of Africa Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, Dim Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, Mrs Margret Ekpo, Prof Chinua Achebe, Prof Kenneth Dike, Akwaeke Nwafor-Orizu, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie etc will shine forth on the global map of the world.
Incidentally, Governor Soludo is an acclaimed world class economist and a global citizen. He aptly suits the bill of Anambra’s glorious season of national and international acclamation. Soludo’s vision to make “Anambra a preferred destination to live, learn, invest, work, relax and enjoy” will gain the needed gravitas through the 2025 “Onwa Dezemba” fiesta.
Anambra State as the home front of seasoned artistes such as Pete Edochie, Chika Okpara of Chief Zebrudaya fame, Flavour, Ogbuoja-Eze etc will sizzle. There will be plenteous theatricals, comedies, street carnivals, sundry parties, and the famous celebrities will stomp the stages. Nightlife is back and better in the acclaimed “Light of the Nation.” The hotels are up to the teeming surge, and the restaurants have been touched up to serve the requisite variegated delicacies.
The economy of Anambra State that is already on the upswing through the Midas touch of Soludo will grow in leaps and bounds. Hospitality jobs will be up for grabs as Anambra leads the way in human infrastructure and manpower development. All aspects of the economic life will be touched, from aesthetics to the zeitgeist.
This is a great time for family reunions, umunna meetings, umuada get-together and sundry sorority. The townships will blend with the localities in happy communion. The networking inherent in this “Onwa Dezemba” phenomenon is well-nigh inexhaustible.
Culture is the forte of Anambra State, and it is incumbent on the cultural ambassadors to seize the day and thrill the world with the full panoply of what the state has to offer. The entertainment fiesta is indeed compelling such that nobody will ever want to miss out on the opportunities gifted by the frills and thrills of “Onwa Dezemba”.
The showcasing of “Onwa Decemba” on global television will ensure that Anambra holds its stellar score as the pivotal state in Nigeria.
Governor Soludo has scored a bull’s eye through siring the sumptuous season of solution tagged “Onwa Dezemba.”
*Dr Nnopu is a showbiz impresario with offices in Awka, Lagos and Abuja.*
