Golibe Festival Thrills Onitsha Youths

Golibe Festival Thrills Onitsha Youths

Christmas Holiday makers in Onitsha, the Commercial capital of Anambra were treated to five days of exciting entertainment in the 2025 edition of the Golibe Festival.

The festival which kicked off on Dec. 26 with the finals of Ado Football League continued with street carnival on Tuesday, music night entertainment on Tuesday and wrap up with crossover night concert on Wednesday.

Jeremiah Ani, a rapper, popularly known as Jeriq was the star artist of the event who thrilled the ecstatic audience at the Chuba Ikpeazu Stadium.

Receiving the organisers Golibe Festival in his Ime-Obi Palace earlier, Igwe Alfred Achebe, the Obi of Onitsha commended them and Onitsha youths for the successful organisation of the event.

Achebe said Golibe was a creation of the youth and elders alike which started many years ago as a systematic way of handing down the culture of Onitsha people to the younger generation.

He said the festival was also an opportunity for Onitsha youths at home, other parts of Nigeria and in the diaspora to know and network with each other.

The traditional ruler said Golibe was the second major festival held in Onitsha every year after the Ofala adding that it was about the ‘future of Onitsha in the hands of its youths’.

He described Golibe festival as a serious entertainment, business and lifestyle which had high potential of helping to reduce criminal activities during this period as a result of the

“Golibe is designed to open up opportunities for our children in the area of poetry, artworks, plenary business, it is about the future of Onitsha in the hands of our youths.

“It is interesting to see the energy and excitement amongst our youths, Golibe is for organisation building, youth development, leadership development and for fun,” he said

Also speaking, Brenda Nwagwu, a member of Board of Golibe said it featured music, masquerades displays, street carnival, a pageantry, handcrafted art and culinary arts.

Nwagwu said the 16 villages of Onitsha Obikporo, Ogbeotu , Umuikem, Ogbeozoma, Mgbelekeke, Ogbendida, Umudei, Odoje, Iyiawu, Umuaroli, Ogbeoza, Umuase, Ogboli-Eke, Ogbembubu, Ogbeodogwu and Ogboli-Olosi took part in the various competitions.

Nwangwu said Ogbeoza were first in the Carnival event with Umuikem and Odoje finishing second and third places

“The festival was created by the Obi of Onitsha to bring together youths from across Nigeria and over the world, in this edition, we have no fewer than 10,000 persons, artists and audience taking part

“Golibe is the best way to create fun for our youths at Christmas, it is also a way of transferring our tradition to the younger generation,” she said.

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Chioma Ndukwu

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