Here is an article published in the Guardian Newspaper today 10-10-07,it is about preserving the cultural land marks of the Igbos of South Eastern Nigeria. The Igbos are the Jews Living in West Africa,and they are concentrated heavily in what is today called South East Nigeria.

Group wants global attention to Igbo cultural landmarks
From Bridget Chiedu Onochie, Abuja
HIGHLIGHTING the need for national attention and international projection of the cultural landmarks in Igbo land a body named Mbido Igbo Association has called on the federal government to take a closer look at the area. They want government to facilitate the excavation of the over seven identified archaeological sites in the South East of Nigeria, as well as take note of its abundant tourism potentials in forms of festivities and unique environment.

The call came last Thursday, October 4, when representatives of the Mbido Igbo Association paid a courtesy visit on the Minister of State for Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Dr. Aliyu Idi Hong.

Speaking on behalf of the delegation, His Royal Majesty, Igwe (Dr.) Martin Nwafor Ezeh, the Idu II of Igbo-Ukwu and chairman, board of trustee, Mbido Igbo Association, who led the visit, emphasised that the Igbo race has a lot to offer the country in terms of culture and tourism. He noted that the tradition that gave life to the Igbo-Ukwu bronze civilisation that has been adjudged one of the best in the world and second to none in Africa is still existent.

"The technological height achieved by our great ancestors has not died. The bronze culture is still on in Igbo-Ukwu since 6th century BC."

Noting that great potentials abound in the region undeveloped, Igwe called on the Ministry to explore the 'seven wonders' of nature, which include Ogba Ukwu Wonderful Cave in Owerrezukala, Anambra State, Olokoro

Wooden Cave in Abia State, Amanchore Cave, Ebonyi State, Oguta Lake in Imo State as well Awhum Waterfall and Cave in Enugu States, among others, lying waste in their area.

While stressing that cultural festivals in the area, especially the New Yam Festival, have been invigorated, Igwe Nwafor prayed the minister to, among other things, appoint their subjects into the boards' of the ministry's parastatals. He asked government to put Igbo-Ukwu and the South East among the tourism zones of the country while also assisting in the funding of the New Yam Festival to rank among other national festivals like Osun Osogbo and the Argugun Fishing Festivals.

In his response, the Minister of State, who listened attentively to the six-man delegation, appreciated the body's recognition of the importance of culture, "not only as a tool for social development but that which also serves as a means of economic development and social integration."

While assuring them of the ministry's commitment to promoting culture and tourism, Hong expressed understanding of the pivotal role of the New Yam Festival in integrating the Igbo race. He informed that the issue, which has earlier been brought to the awareness of the ministry, is receiving due attention. He however charged his guests to call on the very entrepreneurial Igbo sons and daughters to invest in tourism as well as make the Igbo land tourism friendly so as to enable foreigners and investors to take advantage of the huge tourism potentials available in the region.

"I have no doubt in my mind about the importance of the New Yam Festival. It has been brought to our attention: its importance to the Igbo race and the need to make it become a national concern."

He however noted that the issue of making the New Yam Festival a national event compared to Osun Osogbo and others, lies strictly with the people of the area and their ability to market and project the festival by highlighting its potentials to the knowledge of the people.

"But let me quickly mention to you that Osun Osogbo and Argungun Fishing Festival, which you cite as example are the efforts of the states and private sector initiatives..."

"Our own is to give you a legitimate support like participating in it, providing technical expertise and also promoting the tourism content."

While pledging to identify with the Igbo people in all their cultural fiesta, the minister expressed regrets that he might not have the opportunity to participate in the oncoming Mbido Igbo Festival scheduled for November in Igbo Ukwu because of the Abuja Carnival holding at the same period.

IGBO CULTURAL LAND MARKS
Translated into French by: Schrodinger
Here is an article published in the Guardian Newspaper today 10-10-07,it is about preserving the cultural land marks of the Igbos of South Eastern Nigeria. The Igbos are the Jews Living in West Africa,and they are concentrated heavily in what is today called South East Nigeria.

Group wants global attention to Igbo cultural landmarks
From Bridget Chiedu Onochie, Abuja
HIGHLIGHTING the need for national attention and international projection of the cultural landmarks in Igbo land a body named Mbido Igbo Association has called on the federal government to take a closer look at the area. They want government to facilitate the excavation of the over seven identified archaeological sites in the South East of Nigeria, as well as take note of its abundant tourism potentials in forms of festivities and unique environment.

The call came last Thursday, October 4, when representatives of the Mbido Igbo Association paid a courtesy visit on the Minister of State for Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Dr. Aliyu Idi Hong.

Speaking on behalf of the delegation, His Royal Majesty, Igwe (Dr.) Martin Nwafor Ezeh, the Idu II of Igbo-Ukwu and chairman, board of trustee, Mbido Igbo Association, who led the visit, emphasised that the Igbo race has a lot to offer the country in terms of culture and tourism. He noted that the tradition that gave life to the Igbo-Ukwu bronze civilisation that has been adjudged one of the best in the world and second to none in Africa is still existent.

"The technological height achieved by our great ancestors has not died. The bronze culture is still on in Igbo-Ukwu since 6th century BC."

Noting that great potentials abound in the region undeveloped, Igwe called on the Ministry to explore the 'seven wonders' of nature, which include Ogba Ukwu Wonderful Cave in Owerrezukala, Anambra State, Olokoro

Wooden Cave in Abia State, Amanchore Cave, Ebonyi State, Oguta Lake in Imo State as well Awhum Waterfall and Cave in Enugu States, among others, lying waste in their area.

While stressing that cultural festivals in the area, especially the New Yam Festival, have been invigorated, Igwe Nwafor prayed the minister to, among other things, appoint their subjects into the boards' of the ministry's parastatals. He asked government to put Igbo-Ukwu and the South East among the tourism zones of the country while also assisting in the funding of the New Yam Festival to rank among other national festivals like Osun Osogbo and the Argugun Fishing Festivals.

In his response, the Minister of State, who listened attentively to the six-man delegation, appreciated the body's recognition of the importance of culture, "not only as a tool for social development but that which also serves as a means of economic development and social integration."

While assuring them of the ministry's commitment to promoting culture and tourism, Hong expressed understanding of the pivotal role of the New Yam Festival in integrating the Igbo race. He informed that the issue, which has earlier been brought to the awareness of the ministry, is receiving due attention. He however charged his guests to call on the very entrepreneurial Igbo sons and daughters to invest in tourism as well as make the Igbo land tourism friendly so as to enable foreigners and investors to take advantage of the huge tourism potentials available in the region.

"I have no doubt in my mind about the importance of the New Yam Festival. It has been brought to our attention: its importance to the Igbo race and the need to make it become a national concern."

He however noted that the issue of making the New Yam Festival a national event compared to Osun Osogbo and others, lies strictly with the people of the area and their ability to market and project the festival by highlighting its potentials to the knowledge of the people.

"But let me quickly mention to you that Osun Osogbo and Argungun Fishing Festival, which you cite as example are the efforts of the states and private sector initiatives..."

"Our own is to give you a legitimate support like participating in it, providing technical expertise and also promoting the tourism content."

While pledging to identify with the Igbo people in all their cultural fiesta, the minister expressed regrets that he might not have the opportunity to participate in the oncoming Mbido Igbo Festival scheduled for November in Igbo Ukwu because of the Abuja Carnival holding at the same period.

Hi Every one,
The article below published in the Nigerian Guardian Newspaper of 8th October,2007 simply reveal the reality of the Nigerian Nation especially, which has allowed Crude Oil to be a curse rather than a blessing to it's people-high corruption level and whole sale looting of the proceeds of these resources have left the people poorer and more poorer by the day.


Technology widens rich-poor gap
By Philip Emeagwali
OIL has made us billions and fuelled our economic stability, but oil has also become the bane of our existence. For some, it is a curse that has caused poverty and corruption, but for others it is an essential source of untold wealth and power. But as the gap between rich and poor countries continues to expand, it is clear that intellectual capital and technology rule the world, and that natural resources such as oil, gold, and diamonds are no longer the primary determinants of wealth.

Surprisingly, nations with few natural resources demonstrate greater economic growth rates than OPEC countries. Japan's economic growth, driven by technological superiority, outpaces that of Saudi Arabia; South Korea is growing faster than oil-rich Nigeria; and Taiwan's economy has moved well beyond that of oil-rich Venezuela. The United States and Norway are also rich in oil, yet their staggering economic growth comes from intellectual capital.

In reality, it is not money but intellectual capital that drives prosperity. More important, perhaps, is the reality that poverty is driven and sustained by a lack of intellectual capital. The intimate relationship between intellectual capital and economic growth is as old as humanity itself, and is well illustrated by this parable from ancient Babylon (modern-day Iraq). A man asked his children:

"If you had a choice between the clay of wisdom or a bag of gold, which would you choose?"

"The bag of gold, the bag of gold" the na?ve children cried, not realising that wisdom had the potential to earn them many more bags of gold in the future.

Seven thousand years later, Iraq - the cradle of civilisation - has its own private bag of gold as it sits perched atop the world's third largest oil reserves.

Meanwhile, Israel, tucked away in the hostile terrain of a barren desert, has the clay of wisdom - the weightless wealth of intellectual capital embodied in the collective mind of its people. The striking economic gap that persists between rich and poor nations has increased sevenfold over the past century to what is now an all-time high. The accumulation of intellectual capital by rich nations has helped broaden this gap because it has enabled them to control technology and collect hidden taxes from less affluent nations. For instance, Nigeria pays a 40 per cent "royalty" tax on its petroleum revenues to foreign oil companies that are ripping out its family jewels - the huge store of wealth in its oilfields. These oilfields started forming when prehistoric, dog-sized humans - our common ancestor with the apes - walked African grasslands on four legs.

It's a shocking reality, but the deep oil reserves laid down by Mother Nature millions of years ago and nurtured through the millennia in Africa have been whittled away within decades. And, for the dubious privilege of surrendering its natural resources forever, Nigeria is required to pay half its petroleum revenue in the form of "royalties" to the rich kids on the global block, the United States and the Netherlands. That oilfield has been exchanged for a bowl of porridge, and the black gold that should serve the under-served in Nigeria is helping wealthy Westerners get wealthier.

Today, half the world's population - three billion people - live on an average of $500 a year. In contrast, Bill Gates earns $500 every second. By controlling technology and taxing computer users, Gates has become wealthier than each of the 70 poorest nations on earth and using his financial might has conquered more territory than Genghis Khan, Julius Caesar and Alexander the Great combined.

While Bill Gates is the new millennium's Prince of Technology, he is by no means the first to have taken on the huge potential offered by the realm of technology. The Romans used roads and military technology to expand their empire. And, for centuries, Britain ruled a quarter of the Earth due to its unparalleled ability to command maritime technology and conquer the Seven Seas. Britain undoubtedly established itself as the world's first superpower through its rapid and ruthless colonial expansion programme. The British raised the Union Jack over Canada and Australia, India and Hong Kong, Egypt and Kenya, and countless other countries - even the United States. The Union Jack cast its shadow in every global time zone, giving rise to the saying, "The sun never sets on the British Empire," a fact that was cold comfort to the colonised nations.

In the same way, the United States has embraced its technological supremacy, both offensively and defensively, to build its own global empire without a physical presence in any of its "colonies." The sole remaining superpower is at the forefront of every major technological advancement, which it has used to become deeply embedded in three-quarters of the globe. The U.S. has accomplished a virtual economic colonisation manifesting its presence throughout the globe by harnessing the power of technology and capitalising on its clay of wisdom.

Africa's inability to realise its potential and embrace technology has left it at the mercy of the West. The time has come for Africa to seize the day and resist the efforts of America and others to leave their imprint and plunder its natural resources. Numerous examples throughout history support the idea that technology can be used as a tool of oppression. And there's little doubt that America's technological advancement has allowed it to exploit natural resources around the world.

This is particularly evident in Africa, where the U.S. is exploiting oilfields beneath the pristine rainforest - and being rewarded with a 40-per cent tax at the expense of the African people. This lends credence to history's assertion that those who control technology oppress those who do not, eventually enslaving them and, finally, wielding power around the globe.


Emeagwali, winner of the 1989 Gordon Bell Prize, the Nobel Prize of supercomputing, lives in the United States

Hi Every one,
Nigeria is a hidden tourist destination but the only problem we have is that our political leaders concentrated more on looting the crude oil money and think less of promoting and advertising our God -given tourism potentials. But in my own little way,i will continue to showcase these hidden tourists' haven. You are most welcome to Nigeria,just let me know when you are coming over here!! Enjoy this "Garden of Eden" Called Obudu Cattle Ranch!!


Encounter with heaven in Nigeria
By Ken Ugbechie
THE governor of Cross River State, Senator Liyel Imoke, likes to describe his state particularly its capital, Calabar, as the closest place that compares to heaven. Imoke's comparison derives strongly from the enchanting flora that signpost the landscape of the state. But much more, his claim is ossified by the allure of nature that assails you as you move towards the North-eastern part of the state. Destination: Obudu Cattle Ranch, the native home of the Becheve people whose strength and character are epitomised by their stocky frame, broad shoulder and hospitable spirit. The ranch is a piece of marvel and it lucidly depicts the majesty and glory of creation. Any visitor would wonder at the beauty of this special patch of earth that barbs the Cameroon Mountain. Surreal, serene and tranquil, it sits on a plateau that hangs at over 5000 feet above sea level and spread over rolling grassland and montane forests.

Last weekend, I had the rare opportunity of spending a night at the ranch. About two or more dozens of journalists were ferried into the ranch in cable cars over a distance of 11 kilometres from the foot of one of the many mountains that embroider the horizon. It was an adrenaline pumping exercise to find oneself and five others (each cable car takes only six persons and there are about 36 of such cars in the ranch) in the belly of a glass-walled cable car gliding slowly with the aid of a cable rolling over an 11-kilometre track propped up in the air by masts jutting out of the undulating terrain. Journalists are adventurers and die-hard risk-takers. But it was obvious that we met more than our match in the cable car experience which at a distance of 11 kilometres is reputed to be the longest in Africa.

Journalists can also be terrified. Save for James Akpandem, the editor of Daily Independent, who has explored this part of the country countless times, the rest of us were as scared as frightened rabbits in a warren. The Obudu episode dwarfs my experience at the Table Mountains in Cape Town, South Africa. The fright, however, ceases as soon as you berth on the surface of the plateau. It is another world, another planet. In fact, it is heaven's gate. The governor's media aide, Patrick Ugbe, had earlier described the ranch as the place where earth meets heaven. It may well be. First you are elevated to an altitude that makes the rest of humanity look like a community of ants. You are suspended in the ionosphere except that here there are exotic buildings housing hotels, restaurants, gyms and spars, shops and sporting facilities for your pleasure. There is also a Presidential resort complete with a Presidential suite tailored after the Camp David of the United States. Here again, you are not in want of peace. You are insulated from the banditry and savagery that beset those on the surface of the earth. The air is fresh and distilled.

Temperature is temperate hovering between four and 10 degrees Celcius between June and September and 26 to 32 degrees from November to January. Obudu is better than any part of Europe in winter and far exceeds the glory of the industrialised West in summer. It is where modernity and nature co-exist. Founded as a cattle ranch in 1949 by an expatriate rancher, its wide-ranging ranges have over the years guaranteed it as home to wild life. And you wonder why Nigerians still go to Europe for holiday. It is probably so because not many people are aware of the transformation that has taken place at the ranch. It was a tourism destination at a point especially during the Second Republic but it soon fell into the hands of the military. For the two or more decades that the military held sway, the ranch was badly managed.

Hope was rekindled in 1999 when Governor Donald Duke in partnership with the management of the resort decided to upgrade it to a world class status. The incumbent governor says he will consolidate the previous efforts to make Cross River State the preferred tourism destination. It is very possible and earnings from tourism may in the coming years outstrip the state's allocation from the Federation Account. The World Tourism Organisation (WTO) has predicted a bright future for countries that develop their tourism potential. Aside creating jobs and contributing to tax revenues, tourism has become a major foreign exchange earner in global economy. In 2002 alone, 715 million tourists traveled round the world generating $472 billion in earnings. In 2020, WTO predicts 1.6 billion international tourists moving round the world and spending more than $2 trillion annually or $5 billion daily.

This is the future of tourism. It is a future of hope and harvest. It is heart-warming that the government of Cross River State is keying into this future by embarking and consolidating on ambitious projects namely the Tinapa Resort comprising 54 line shops, 243-room hotel, casino, eight cinema screens among others; the Calabar Marina Resort which boasts of the heart-rending slave museum and the various craft markets strewn across the state.

In the global tourism matrix, Nigeria's Cross River State looks well primed to slice off a good chunk of the spoils. Imoke says he is already thinking along that line. He wants to achieve this by providing the people with the relevant amenities that would empower them to tap into the tourism potential of the state. The Partnership Opportunities for Women Empowerment Realisation (POWER), a Millennium Development Goal initiative founded and supervised by his wife, Obioma, also seeks to empower the women to take advantage of the economies of scale created by the tourism industry.

Truly, Cross River State is a fitting and reassuring epigraph to the vision of President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua to diversify and deepen the revenue base of the nation while growing the economy to make Nigeria one of the global top 20 economies in the world by 2020.

But more importantly, those who zoom off to Europe to spend foreign exchange in the name of holiday should think Cross River State . From Calabar, the first capital city of Nigeria replete with historic and ancient landmarks to Obudu where as a colleague said, the Garden of Eden still exits, there is something to cheer and to celebrate about Nigeria.

Top this with the legendary hospitality of the Calabar woman, the seductive dance of the Leboku maiden and the serenading songs of the cultural troupes then you would realise why Imoke likens his state to heaven and why you should 'spoil' yourself a little in this magical state.

Hi Every one,
Remember the cultural festival i told u about in my profile here?? It is called the ikeji Festival. It is a rich cultural festival showcased every April, just about a week after the Easter celebrations.Remember also that i said that i am ready to host anyone who is interested in attending to have a first hand account and experience of the festival.
I found this Article about the festival in the Guardian newspapers here this morning and decided to share it with you all. below is the article,hope u enjoy it!!

Ikeji: Festival of unity across Nigeria
By Uduma Kalu
IT was like confronting terror. Somebody in the crowd described it as a festival of masquerades. But it was fun. And he was right. All over the towns and villages of Arondizuogu, located in Imo State, a horde of exotically dressed masquerades, welding whips and ugly looking masks on their heads, roamed. The masquerades were mostly in silk, woollen and cotton cloths. Some of the cloths were nets. And these masquerades could talk. They whipped people whom they chose to whip. Immediately that person was identified, he stood still for the bunch of canes to descend on him. It was no wonder that the crowd was mostly in jeans trousers and other thick clothes to absorb the pain of the canes.

The people would run asunder, immediately a masquerade appeared, with his half clad and rough looking youthful male companions singing their masculine songs. Others had pots stuffed with fires that smoked. Various types of musical instruments accompanied them: slit wooden gongs, (ekwe), ogele (metal gong), and drums, among others. Along the roads and traders and household people decorated their surroundings and shops with palm leaves to mark the limits the masquerades could trespass. If a person ran into that encircled space, he was safe.

And they were many-the crowd and the masquerades. But the masquerades dictated the course the crowd followed. Perhaps, that was before Mobile Telecommunication Network (MTN) came in, with its noise and gifts, dances, songs, music and drama. At this time, the masquerades, perhaps, felt threatened. And they revolted. Perhaps, they too wanted the gifts from the telecom company. They began to break through the palm leaves into the open MTN arena. Some of them succeeded in getting their gifts, though.

The MTN rigs (open platforms) and canopies were, perhaps, a challenge to the masquerades. A new attraction, like spice, had been added to the Ikeji Festival. Some of the town-folks that heard about it returned home from Lagos, Europe and America. News had gone out, through radio and television jingles, newspapers and words of mouth, that MTN was in town to celebrate Ikeji with the Arondizuogu, as the festival's official sponsor. The telecommunication company had actually contacted the town's authorities and got their permission to sponsor it.

So, it was indeed, between the MTN music and dance band, and the masquerades. While the masquerades came with their canes, the MTN crew came with gifts to give out through raffle draw: generators, t-shirts, umbrellas, pens. And people were winning. Soon, the crowd thickened at the Nkwo Achi central square of the town where the company held forte. Somewhere, cannons boomed, round after round.

MTN came for the Ikeji Festival prepared. It stamped its presence by mounting at every strategic position-junctions, royal palaces, even during officials right behind the ezes- MTN posters and yellow and black t shirts. Groups of people in the town or roads were made to wear the shirts. The posters announced various products of the company. They had pictures of certain cultural dances in Igboland. This way, those mounting tolls along the road were branded, as well as the masquerade troupes. Before long the yellow and blue colours of the Telecommunication Company enveloped every part of the town. It was what Crown Prince Dike later described as aggressive marketing, and wished that MTN would always be at the Ikeji.

, The MTN group was represented by Mr Ikechukwu Kalu, General Manager, Consumer Marketing, Mr. Oforkansi Oti, in charge its South East and South South divisions, and Kazeem, in charge of its regional representative.

That Friday morning, the music and dance troupe blasted the town with the songs of Pericomo. A deeply rooted and synchronising sound, his song is narrative, interspersed by the narrator who ends it with a chorus. Soon, the whole town was turned into a music hall, with the voice of Ichie Mezuo Nwankwo Okoye (Pericomo) trailing the ridges, hills and plains of Arondizuogu. He popularised the Ikeji festival with his music, which is an Ikeji brand. Youths and oldies danced and greeted visitors. The town-folks wore a happy smile. Some of them were drunk, or were just drinking. Pericomo's music was irresistible to them.

Along the road, some folks struggled with their goats. The goats were for sacrifice to mother earth and the ancestors. Others were carrying dead animals such as antelopes and grass cutters (nchi) bought from hunters.

Whatever negative image cast on the Ikeji festival disappeared at the people's show of happiness and hospitality. Perhaps, that was the reason why the telecommunication company was involved in the first place-to help dispel the false notion held about the over 400 year-old event.

A brochure by First Input Ltd FI-I, an event company, working with MTN at the Ikeji, said the festival is recognised as a formidable cultural event that has become a unifying factor for all Nigerians.

"Ikeji Festival is much more than the parochial definition of narrow minded people." These people, the brochure said, "try to associate the festival with fetishism and other morbid thoughts."

For the group, through its chairman, Mr. Chris Agu, those are the people that are ignorant and suffer from brain wash as a result of foreign cultural hegemony.

Ikeji, he went on, is a tradition passed down to the present generation from their ancestors. It is a combination of thanksgiving, prayers, libation, feasting, indoctrination and the carnival like masquerade extravaganza (all in original grand African style, he pointed out.

"Ikeji is about letting go of all your worries, all your pain, and just be yourself as you join with friends and family to celebrate. Ikeji Festival is a cleansing of the land. It ushers in the new yam season," somebody in the crowd quipped in.

"Today, we pour libation, kill goats and offer prayers" he elaborated.

The event was actually a complete four days of fun, food, party and "and a little bit of temporary insanity," a moment to relax and enjoy the fun of a rural community. The adverts had enabled people to return home this year more than it used to be," he explained.

For the telecommunication company, as part of its drive to dispel some of the negative bad rap about Ikeji, "we are leaving no stone unturned to bring this gift of our ancestors to the realities and relevance of the 21st century bordeless world"

However, MTN's participated in the festival as part of its Direct Community Connect, previously known as Direct Consumer Contact. It started last year. In September, October, November, and December, the company had its pilot projects. The idea was to make contact with its customers. During the process the company realised that it was bringing communities together; it was enabling communities to connect with its customers. It therefore had to change the name to reflect the real essence of the initiative.

The idea is also to use such to get to a community, make everything available to its customers there. They can ask questions, and get them resolved. In a way therefore, it was bringing MTN service centre to the community.

"We have a dedicated line that they can call to our call centre and get any issue that they cannot resolve on ground to be resolved immediately so that the customer does not leave here without getting an answer to whatever he wanted.

"And again, the team consists of people who can speak the local dialect, so that you are able to talk to even the illiterate customer about MTN. So for us, the MTN Community Connect is about bringing MTN to the Grassroots, because we cannot open an office in every local government, or every community. But with MTN's Community Connect we can get to every community and make impact in every community. So for me this is a fantastic programme, and I am not surprised that others are beginning to do similar things. But you see as a leader in this market, we will always continue to spearhead new things, innovative ideas," Ikechukwu Kalu of the MTN said.

The four-day Ikeji activities began on April 23-25. It was the homecoming, which also began the telecommunication's activities. April 26 was the Eke Odu Ikeji Initiation. April 27 was Orie Egbugbu, for thanksgiving and libation feasting.

While the community observed all these, MTN marked the activities with different programmes. On that April 27th, it converged at Nkwo Achi and visited the Crown Prince of Ndi Awa, whose father, Eze Dike, died last year. They later went to see Eze Ndubuisi Kanu of Ndiheme. The next day, they were at the palace of Eze Aro Umuduru-Ikpakwu Autonomous Community. The gifts for Pericomo were handed over to him through his delegate at Ndi Iheme.

At the palace of the late Eze J. A. Dike 111 of Ndi Awa, his son, Prince Dike, who performed the traditional kola nut offering of the Igbo narrated the history of the town, adding that his village is the head of all the Izuogu villages. The feast, he said, is to ask God and their ancestors to continue to guide them in the planting season.

"Ikeji is the interregnum between planting and harvesting. And we ask our fathers to protect us in the season. Today is Orie Egbugbu, the day for sacrifice. We ask our gods for their benevolence towards our children. The most significant aspect is the sacrifice we do. Ikeji is a cultural festival. It is the time of homecoming, a reunion when people return home to see their kiths and kin," he said.

While noting the company's "aggressive marketing", the crown prince said that the company has succeed in becoming the nation's number one mobile telecom company.

At Ndi Iheme and Umuduru Ikpakwu, the chief priests performed the sacrificial nature of the feast. A goat each was sacrificed and libation poured in each of these villages. And everything ended with humour and laughter, as the libation was poured amidst jokes on the ancestors too. And all through the visits, the MTN repeated their pledge to support the ceremony.

Along the road, some folks struggled with their goats. The goats were for sacrifice to mother earth and the ancestors. But the visit on that day was symbolic as it was the Egbu day of the festival.

In their remarks at the palaces, the MTN chiefs told the royal fathers whom they presented with Nokia phones, MTN sim cards and umbrellas that they would build more booster stations in the town to boost coverage. Through Oti, the team said they would always be at the Ikeji. The fathers were happy when told by Kalu of the efforts by the company to bring the festival to world attention.

"We want to move our people from Arondizuogu ahead. We want to move them in their cultural heritage, in their cultural experience, and you know it matters to them. It is about helping them to enjoy those things that matter to them, helping them to celebrate their life, their culture, which is why we are here. We are at Arondizuogu also, and a month ago we were at Ilesabi and we made it great. We came here and we are going to make the Ikeji festival greater than it used to be. And we will see that at the end of this festival, the people of Arondizuogu we say, "Wao!" Kalu said.

He said the value derived from participating in such festivals to company is immeasurable.

"The value goes beyond what you can quantified. And for us it is about that connectivity with your customers; you take them beyond just being your customers to being your advocate. Anyone who gets that kind of fantastic event that we are bringing here is more likely to tell more people about the experience. And that will continue to boost our subscribers' base and the usage of our packaging because you feel we care for you, and you will always want to stay with the brand you feel that cares for you care for that cares for you. And MTN cares for you in so many ways; we care about your culture, the value you get and in facilitating them."

Part of the reasons for the visitation to rulers, Kalu said, was to rub mind with them, "on how we can partner with them in other fronts. So for me it is a continuous thing. We are here to celebrate with them, and that celebration they will get in large measure," he said.