His Royal Majesty (HRM), Eze Okwudiri Divine Nwandu and his wife Ugoeze Adaku Nwandu have ascended the throne of Ihitteafoukwu in Ahiazu Mbaise local government area of Imo State as Akaraka III and Ugoeze Akaraka III respectively.
The well-attended ceremony, which took place on Saturday, August 16, 2025, concluded the traditional rites of the enthronement of the new king. The coronation reached a crescendo with the Iri-Ji festival at the palace ground of the Akaraka III.
In a press statement issued by the organisers, they said the ceremony ended the long wait of the community for a king since the demise of the previous occupant, adding that the serenity that trailed the event showed that Dr. Nwandu was indeed a divine choice.
In his speech, the monarch charged the people of Ihitteafoukwu to join him to develop the community, beginning with the renovation of the Ihitteafoukwu Civic Centre, which he described as one of the symbols of Ihitteafoukwu unity.
One of the major highlights of the day was the traditional wrestling, a brainchild of Eze Nwandu. Apart from being a reminder of the richness of the culture of the people of Ihitteafoukwu, it is used to get the youths off hard drugs, cultism and to encourage them to embrace a healthy lifestyle.
The winners of this year’s edition received N2 million while an elated Eze Nwandu, raised it to N4 million for next year’s winners of the wrestling contest.
A prominent indigene of the community, Chief Ignatius Okafor, elected to sponsor the female traditional wrestling competition billed to debut next year with the sum of N2 million.
The event also featured the conferment of chieftaincy titles by the king on notable sons and friends of the kingdom.
