Och’Idoma Invites Idoma Nation To New Century Of Purpose

The Och’Idoma Palace in Otukpo was the scene of a historic inauguration during the week. His Royal Majesty, Agaba’Idu Elaigwu Odogbo John, Och’Idoma and president of the Idoma Area Traditional Council, launched the institutional framework for the Idoma Division Centenary Plus Celebration 2026.

This event, 103 years after the establishment of the Idoma Division in 1923, aims to unify the Idoma, Igede, Ufia, and Akweya communities under a shared administrative and cultural identity.

Addressing a diverse audience of royal fathers, elders, jurists, scholars and community leaders, the monarch declared the Centenary a “sacred national assignment,” a time for reflection on the past, examination of the present, and deliberate preparation for the future. He emphasised that the Centenary demands “depth, discipline, and moral clarity” to translate memory into direction and purpose.

The year-long celebration, themed “Honouring Our Idoma Century, Advancing Benue South,” will focus on documenting heritage, strengthening community cohesion, confronting contemporary challenges, and articulating a shared vision for the next century. Planned activities include women-focused conversations, youth innovation platforms, faith-based engagements, investment dialogues, cultural exhibitions, academic conferences, and diaspora homecoming events, ensuring a broad civic and generational character.

To spearhead this vision, the Och’Idoma inaugurated the Elders Advisory Board, chaired by HRH Engr. Edeh George with Hon. Justice Ejembi Eko, JSC (Rtd), as Co-Chairman. This fourteen-member board is charged with serving as the moral compass of the Centenary process. HRH Engr. Edeh assured the monarch of the board’s commitment to their “weighty responsibility,” pledging sincerity, discipline, and fidelity to truth.

Subsequently, the Board of Trustees was inaugurated as the supreme policy, oversight, and fiduciary authority. Professor Yakubu Aboki Ochefu was confirmed as Chairman, with Chief Ogbile Emmanuel as Co-Chairman. This twenty-seven-member board represents various sectors, including traditional institutions, government, and the Idoma diaspora. The monarch entrusted them with strategic leadership and resource mobilisation, warning that their stewardship would be measured by its enduring legacy beyond 2026.

Professor Ochefu accepted the royal charge, describing the assignment as “generational and irreversible.” He pledged concrete outcomes, including the preservation of historical records, a Centenary Conference, a documentary, and enduring legacy initiatives.

As the Och’Idoma formally inaugurated both boards, the atmosphere at the Palace was sober and resolved, with the monarch expressing hope that the Centenary would be remembered as a time when the Idoma people “rose above division, rediscovered purpose, and spoke with one voice.” The message from the throne resonated, charting a deliberate course for the Idoma Division Centenary Plus Celebration 2026, anchored in memory, guided by unity, and driven by a resolve to shape a future worthy of its past.