According to Law Mefor, Anambra State Commissioner for Information, the yuletide goes beyond Christmas celebration, for Ndigbo generally. It serves as a tourism hub and a time for stocktaking, as well as a pilgrimage destination. “Igbo people return from all over the world to join with family and friends at home in auspicious celebrations that last for about two to three weeks on average in and around the communities across Igbo land.
In most Igbo communities, burials are typically banned from mid-December to make way for joyous Christmas celebrations and resume in the first week of the New Year, when many burials that could have been held in December are rescheduled”.
Speaking further, Mefor posits that the month (Onwa) of December (Dezemba in Igbo pronunciation) is therefore not new. What is new is that Solution Governor Chukwuma Soludo wants it fully branded, unified, and celebrated annually in Anambra State—possibly on a grander scale than Detty December in Lagos, the Calabar Carnival, and so on.
This bold new initiative in Anambra State is called “Onwa Dezemba.” You may have seen or heard of the Calabar Carnival, initiated by then-Governor Donald Duke of Cross River State in 2004. Others may refer to it as the Detty December of Lagos. But as the Americans say, “You ain’t seen nothing yet!” Wait until you behold Anambra’s very own ‘Onwa Dezemba’ fiesta of 2025!
It promises to be a global gathering. The Diaspora is flocking to Anambra State. Sons and daughters of Anambra State are poised to make the annual Yuletide journey back to their homeland from all parts of Nigeria. It is a jam-packed feast. Call it ‘Onwa Dezemba’, and Ndi Anambra will bow!
There is nothing “dirty” in relation to ‘Onwa Dezemba’. The organising committee’s rich programmes embody the event’s character of cultural exhibitions and pure communal fun.
The ever-resourceful Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo, CFR, is, through ‘Onwa Dezemba,’ keeping alive his promise of developing a peaceful and pleasurable homeland that stands tall as a destination choice, rather than a departure lounge. The Anambra community at large would gather together in their numbers and make merry in style and grandeur.
As Anambra’s famous son, Chinua Achebe, whom Soludo named the Chinua Achebe International Airport after, wrote in his iconic novel, ‘ Things Fall Apart’: “A man who calls his kinsmen to a feast does not do so to save them from starving. They all have food in their homes. When we gather together on the moonlit village ground, we do not do so solely because of the moon. Every man can see it in his compound. We come together because it is good for kinsmen to do so.”
When the families of Anambra people living at home and abroad gather via the ‘Onwa Dezemba’ fiesta, the entire homeland will metaphorically be eating out of the same communal pot, from Abba to Olumbanasaa.
Mefor added that the fiesta kicked off on December 10, with the lighting up and decoration of the awe-inspiring Christmas tree at the Solution Fun City. ‘Onwa Dezemba’, arguably Africa’s grandest communal party, has officially commenced and will continue in full swing until January 2026. All the drivers of Onwa Dezemba are poised to execute the programme effectively, thus ensuring a memorable festive experience for Ndi Anambra in line with Mr Governor’s vision of delivering a liveable and prosperous Anambra. The Onwa Dezemba Festival is being consciously enshrined as an annual end-of-year celebration, designed to bring Ndi Anambra together through culture, entertainment, family-friendly activities, and community engagement.
“This inaugural 2025 edition features nine major events across Awka, Ekwulobia, and Onitsha. The other diverse towns of Anambra State have all keyed into the Onwa Dezemba phenomenon. Key highlights include the Solution FunCity Christmas Cantata, the Masquerade Festival at Ezechima Primary School in Onitsha, the Christmas Day Children’s Carnival at Solution FunCity, and the Masquerade Festival at Alex Ekwueme Square in Awka, which will be followed the next day by another Masquerade Festival at Township Stadium in Ekwulobia”.
