PH Mundial – Port Harcourt Online Newspaper News Across The Region
Related Articles
By Young E. Freeborn, Warri
The nine-day annual Igbe festival of the Igbe Orhe Ofuafo Oghene Healing Home Inc in Unenurhie community, Evwreni kingdom in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State is scheduled to commence from March 23, 2022 with an all-night holy service.
A statement issued recently by the Uku in charge of the Igbe worship hall, Uku Simon Imoni Efedudu, who is an equivalent of a bishop read in parts, “Our annual Igbe festival usually starts from the 23rd of March every year since my late father, late Uku Sunday Efedudu founded this Igbe religious home in 1976 and registered it with the federal government under the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) in 2001. We are officially inviting all Igbe worshippers in Delta State and across Nigeria to celebrate with us.
“The nine-day festival is always filled with a lot of spiritual activities beginning with the all-night service, procession to the host community by the Uku and the Igbe worshippers, healing of sicknesses, deliverance from evil spirits and deadly attacks, admission of new converts, paying of vows and homage by worshippers, cultural dances by different ethnic groups in the Igbe religion, ancestral worship to our founder and many other activities.”
Uku Efedudu further said: “We are therefore calling on our community leaders, politicians and government officials, religious leaders in our different communities, worshippers and lovers of the African Traditional Religion (ATR) and the general public to join us in the Igbe annual festival as we will also pray for the peace and unity of Nigeria, peace of the 2023 general elections, peace and progress of our different communities, prosperity and blessings upon members and every person around.
“Our annual Igbe festival is a time of harvest, celebration, enjoyment, love, forgiveness and reconciliation among members and a time to create and establish a stronger relationship with Orise, the Almighty God.
“The Igbe religion as an African traditional religion believes in purity of the mind and purity and cleanliness of our lifestyles. This is why we use the holy chalk (Orhe Ofuafo) as our means and mode of worship and the white cloth (Ukpoyibo) as our uniform and symbol of service. We again invite all Urhobos, Isokos, Ijaws, Itsekiris and all Deltans to join us celebrate this year’s annual festival.”
