Golibe Festival Ignites Onitsha, Empowers Youths With Five Days of Culture, Music, Carnival

Editor2 weeks ago

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ONITSHA, Nigeria — The 2025 Golibe Festival lit up Onitsha during the Christmas holidays, thrilling thousands of youths and holidaymakers with five days of vibrant cultural displays, entertainment and community bonding that organisers say are shaping the future of the commercial city’s younger generation.

The festival, which began on December 26 with the finals of the Ado Football League, featured a colourful street carnival, music night and rounded off with a high-energy crossover concert at the Chuba Ikpeazu Stadium, headlined by popular rapper Jeremiah Ani, popularly known as Jeriq, who electrified the ecstatic crowd.

Receiving the festival organisers earlier at his Ime-Obi Palace, the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Achebe, praised the creativity, coordination and discipline shown by Onitsha youths throughout the event. He described Golibe as a youth-driven initiative rooted in cultural preservation.

“Golibe is a creation of our youth and elders alike, designed many years ago to systematically hand down the culture of Onitsha people to the younger generation,” Achebe said. He noted that the festival not only fosters unity among youths at home and abroad but also promotes leadership development, business opportunities and a safer festive atmosphere.

According to the monarch, Golibe remains Onitsha’s second biggest cultural event after the Ofala Festival, symbolising “the future of Onitsha in the hands of its youths.”

Board member Brenda Nwagwu said the festival featured a rich blend of music, masquerade displays, street carnival, pageantry, handcrafted art and culinary showcases. Sixteen traditional villages including Ogbeotu, Umuikem, Ogbeozoma, Odoje, Iyiawu, Umuaroli, Ogboli-Eke and others participated in various competitions.

She announced that Ogbeoza Village emerged winners of the carnival competition, while Umuikem and Odoje took second and third positions respectively. More than 10,000 participants and attendees were recorded during this year’s edition.

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“The festival was created to bring youths together from across Nigeria and the world. Golibe is not just fun, it is a cultural classroom and a platform of pride for the next generation,” Nwagwu said.

Residents hailed the festival for boosting festive excitement, promoting tourism and creating a shared platform where culture meets entertainment, business and youth empowerment.