The Ancient Iduu Eri Kingdom has formally inaugurated the planning committee for the 2026 World Eri Festival (Olili Eri) and the Golden Jubilee celebration of His Majesty, Ezedigbo, Ezeora the 34th (XXXIV), marking two major historic milestones for the kingdom and the wider Igbo nation.
The inauguration, held at the Obu-Gad Palace in Enugwu Aguleri, sets the stage for a grand three-day celebration scheduled for November 7 to 9, 2026, bringing together sons and daughters of Igbo land, cultural custodians, diplomats, and friends of the kingdom from across the world.
The event will commemorate the ancestral arrival of Eri, regarded as the progenitor of the Igbo people, while also celebrating His Majesty’s 50 years of reign on the throne.
The planning committee is chaired by High Chief Kingsley Umeh Chibuike, Nnam Odum Na Iduu Eri, Odum Aguata. High Chief Prof. Raphael A. Chikwenze (Aka-Eze Eri), the Palace Secretary, will serve as Deputy Chairman, while High Chief Rabbi Ikechukwu Ogugua (Onyishi Nchu Aja Eri) will serve as General Secretary.
Addressing the newly inaugurated committee, His Majesty charged members to embark on a global mobilization of Ndi Igbo and key interest groups across the world to ensure the success of the event.
“This celebration marks not merely a jubilee, but the beginning of a new dimension in the cultural renaissance and upliftment of the Igbo race, whose ancestral root is traced to this Kingdom,” the monarch declared.
He emphasized that the festival would serve as a cultural rebirth and a reaffirmation of the historical roots of the Igbo people, while projecting the kingdom’s heritage to the global stage.
The programme for the celebration will begin on November 7, 2026, with a grand symposium featuring scholarly conversations on Igbo history, identity development, and a book launch.
On November 8, there will be a Mass Remembrance Pilgrimage, described as a solemn spiritual journey in honour of the progenitors of the Igbo nation.
The final day, November 9, will feature a major cultural display and the conferment of chieftaincy titles on deserving individuals and institutions.
Among the distinguished personalities expected at the event is the Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to Nigeria, Ambassador Michał Cygan, who recently paid a courtesy visit to the Obu-Gad Palace to strengthen bilateral cultural ties and express solidarity with the kingdom.
Speaking after his inauguration, the Chairman of the Planning Committee, High Chief Kingsley Umeh Chibuike, pledged to deliver a world-class celebration worthy of the throne and the heritage of the Igbo nation.
“I will lead the Committee with a profound sense of purpose, humility, and an operating philosophy anchored on rigor, transparency, and relentless excellence,” he said.
“Our mandate is to deliver a world-class celebration befitting the dignity of the Throne and the global relevance of our enviable heritage as the Igbo Nation.
“We shall ensure that this Golden Jubilee reflects the majesty of our past, the vibrancy of our present, and the promise of our future.”
The committee has commenced work immediately, with preparations already underway to ensure the successful hosting of what is expected to be one of the biggest cultural events in the kingdom’s recent history.
