In leaps and bounds, the Onitsha Ofala celebration has grown over the years to become one of the biggest traditional festivals in Black Africa, and unarguably, the biggest festival in South East Nigeria. The recent success story of Ofala is attributable to a large extent, to the ingenuity of Globacom, which has in the past nine years supported the festival as major corporate sponsor, and the innovativeness of the custodian of the festival, the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe.
The uniqueness of Ofala is not only embedded in the razzmatazz that characterises the celebration, but even more in the new ideas and dimensions that are introduced to the celebrations year in, year out, especially in the last nine years. Igwe Achebe, who ascended the throne about 19 years ago, in 2019, celebrated, his 18th Ofala as the monarch of the kingdom. Even though the 2019 edition has come and gone, the memories of the celebrations will linger in the minds of the people for a long time to come.
The agreement signed between Globacom and Onitsha palace in 2011 for the sponsorship of Ofala marked a turning point for the festival.