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Leaders and indigenes of Item community in Bende Local Government Area will, on December 30, give Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, a grand civic reception at the 2025 Item Day Celebration. Former Director-General of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Chief Aruma Oteh, will be honoured with a Grand Merit Award at the event.
The event, which will hold at the playground of Akanu Item Primary School, Item, has as its theme: “Building a Greater Item Through Collective Action: The Work Continues.”
The theme, according to the planning committee, underscores the collective resolve of Nde Item to sustain unity, self-help, and collaboration, harnessing shared resources and talents for accelerated community development in partnership with the IDA.
Governor Otti is being honoured with the grand reception in recognition of his visionary leadership and remarkable strides in repositioning Abia State for growth and development, while Chief Oteh is being honoured for the fame she has brought to Item community through her distinguished works as a global leader of repute.
Chairman of the Occasion is Chief Ojay Obasi Eke (Udoka), one of Item Okpi’s most distinguished sons, who has continued to make remarkable contributions to the development of Item, with Co-Chairman Chief Chukwuemeka Ogwo Mba (Ugwuchukwunyere I of Item), another outstanding contributor to the welfare and development of the Item people.
Chief Guest of Honour at the event is Rt Hon Benjamin Okezie Kalu, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, who will be warmly received in recognition of his successful completion and commissioning of several projects in Item in 2025, including the Amaekpu Item Health Centre with a mini ambulance, construction of a section of the Okoko–Ugwueke Road, renovation and construction of classroom blocks across six schools within the community, as well as water borehole and power transformer projects.
Special Guest of Honour, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, Chairman of the Senate Committee on the South East Development Commission, will also be appreciated for his remarkable commitment to education and road infrastructure development in Item, including a newly constructed classroom block at Okai Item Primary School and donation of chairs and desks to three primary schools within the community.
Other dignitaries expected at the event include the Guests of Honour, Hon Dr Ibekwe Nnamdi Chimdi, member representing Bende North Constituency, and Hon Uwabunkeonye Bassey, Executive Chairman of Bende Local Government Area.
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The Father of the Day is the Grand Patron of IDA, High Chief Sir (Dr) Akwari Ukpabi, while the Spiritual Father of the Day is Methodist Church Archbishop, Dr Sunday Ndukwo Onuoha, who is Chairman of the IDA Board of Trustees, with the Royal Father of the Day being HRM Eze Jerry Akpala Igwe (JP), Chairman of the Item Traditional Royal Council, and the Royal Father of Honour, HRM Eze Silas Okeofia Igwe (JP), the Okpi of Item.
Speaking on the 2025 Item Day, the President-General of IDA, Sir Onwuka Orji, called for continued cooperation and collaboration among stakeholders, indigenes, and friends of Item both at home and in the diaspora.
He expressed optimism that the 2025 Item Day Celebration will further strengthen efforts toward building a greater Item through collective action, in line with the theme of the year.
Sir Orji said that this great annual event, celebrated with pomp and pageantry, was instituted by the Item Development Association (IDA) in 2007 as a unique platform to celebrate God’s goodness in the affairs of Nde Item in the outgoing year.
He stated that the event provides an avenue for stock-taking by the leadership of IDA, highlighting accomplishments, challenges, setbacks, and plans for the development of Item homeland.
The rich cultural heritage of Item people will also be showcased during the event, he said.
The Chairman of the 2025 Item Day Planning Committee, Chief Eke Ogba (Omereoha Item), said that this edition, which marks the 19th Item Day Celebration, will commence at 12 noon and will bring together the entire people of Item Okpi Kingdom alongside friends and well-wishers from across Abia State and beyond.
