The 2024 Aro Day Celebration has come and gone, and a lot took place during the season.
Newsmen were privileged to have an exclusive talk with His Eminence Eze Dr Eberechukwu Oji who reflected on the success of the event, which marked his first celebration since ascending to the throne of his ancestors.
He discussed cultures, religions, and their often conflicting lines.
This engaging dialogue explored the delicate balance between preserving ancient customs and adapting to the evolving influence of religious practices in shaping the Kingdom’s identity. It highlighted how cultural and religious values continue to coexist and evolve in this dynamic Kingdom. Excerpts:
Being your first Aro Day Celebration since your ascension to the throne, how do you feel?
Let me first introduce myself. My name is Dr. Eberechukwu Oji, the Eze Aro of Arochukwu Kingdom. I want to thank the Almighty God for a very successful Aro Day 2024 celebration. When we organized the program, there was a lot of anxiety since it was my first, but God showed up, and the people did too. I also want to thank our Governor, who headlined the occasion. He attended with his family and stayed with us, bringing Singer Chinedu Okoli, popularly known as Flavour, which added colour to the program.
It’s trending all over social media, and we are receiving calls from friends and well-wishers around the world celebrating the success of Aro Day. We had a wonderful event.
Can you tell us about the process for selecting the awardees?
This year’s awards were unprecedented. Our awards are given every five years, and we have over 80 awardees, which has never happened in our kingdom before. The selection process is quite rigorous. First, you must be nominated by your village, then by Nzuko Aro in your area, and finally, you go through screening by eminent sons and daughters of Aro who compose the screening committee. This year, we had over 400 nominations and more than 200 qualified candidates. Initially, we planned to award about 30 people, but due to the overwhelming number of those qualified, we increased it to 60 and eventually more to honour the illustrious sons and daughters of Arochukwu Kingdom who are making us proud around the world.
Many people believe that culture and religion do not go hand in hand. As a pastor, how have you been able to reconcile these two? If not, what has been the challenge?
There is no conflict between our tradition and religion. Religion is a personal choice; you can choose to be an idol worshipper, a Christian, or a Muslim, and that is your personal decision. No religion is imposed on all UmuAro. Our culture and traditions are what hold us together. They are our identity: our language, customs, mannerisms, character, and ways of interaction—everything that defines who we are. Your religion and worship of God cannot separate you from your identity. I don’t perceive any conflict or dichotomy. I am Eze Aro for all UmuAro, regardless of their religion. When it comes to the things that unite us, we must uphold our customs.
What has been the perception of your people regarding your leadership?
I have been a corporate leader for over 30 years in top global leadership positions, and I believe a leader should have personal standards rather than seeking validation. It’s important to have convictions, ethics, strong character, and high standards—these are core to your person and guide your actions. Sometimes these core values may be unpopular, but people should recognize you by your principles. This clarity leads to harmonious leadership, as people will always know where you stand. They may not always agree with your decisions, but you are not seeking validation; it’s not a popularity contest. We believe we have a mandate from God to lead our people correctly, and that’s the only leadership we endorse.
What can we expect going forward? Will the activities in the land be a one-time experience, or will they recur yearly or at intervals?
Our dream is to position Arochukwu Kingdom as a global tourist destination, and it is already happening. We plan to hold major activities four times a year: at Easter, in July for my coronation anniversary, during Ikeji Aro in September, and for the Christmas celebration. These events will provide opportunities for people to visit Arochukwu; if you miss one, you can plan to attend another. We aim to make this place a desirable location for living, visiting, and experiencing.
**In our previous interview, you spoke about the establishment of universities in Arochukwu. How is that progressing?
Currently, the State Government is undertaking significant rehabilitation of the Abia State College of Education Technical Arochukwu (ASCETA). Additionally, there is a publicly proposed South Eastern University to be located here. We will work diligently to ensure it eventually comes to fruition. From a comparative perspective, we believe that making Arochukwu a university town will greatly benefit our people, so we are encouraging all UmuAro who can establish private universities here as well.
Finally, how is the Light Up Aro Project you initiated a few months ago progressing?
One does not speak too much about these initiatives. What’s important is to observe the changes as you walk around the community.
We have made progress from the last time you came till now. We started this project with my friends and putting 480 solar lights. Since then, many more lights have come. We have brought over 200 solar lights since the last time, and about 2000 more have been committed and coming. Just wait and see. There’s not too much talk. If I’ve only made a promise to bring solar light and at the end of the day, I do not do it, nobody will take me seriously but now they have seen it.
So, in that kind of project, seeing is believing. The project is on course. We have absolute confidence in the Chairman of the Committee and his team to deliver a wonderful job.
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