Indigenes of Item ancient kingdom, in Bende Local Government Area of Abia State, friends and well-wishers will converge on December 30, 2024 to celebrate the 18th edition of Item Day.
With theme: “Increasing the Commitment for Community Service and Development,” the 2024 Item Day will be used to showcase the rich cultural heritage of Item people.
It holds at Comprehensive Secondary School, Okoko Item begining from 12 noon.
The annual Item Day, celebrated with pomp and ceremony, was instituted by Item Development Association (IDA) in 2007 as a unique platform to celebrate the community and people for achievements recorded in the outgoing year.
The IDA also uses the event to highlight accomplishments, challenges and future plans for Item people as well as to honour eminent sons, daughters, well wishers, who have distigiushed themselves in rendering selfless service to Item community in particular and Nigeria as a whole.
According to the planning committee, this year’s Item Day is unique as it is a blend of the Home and Abroad components, with chairmen of the event both based outside the shores of Nigeria.
The committee said that the chairman of the 2024 Item Day is Chief Chukwuka Nweke, Ph.D (Nwadioha Nma of Okoko Item), who is based in Colorado, USA, while the Co-Chairman, Chief Emenike Okpo Onyekwere (Ugochinyere 1 of Amazea) is based in Paris, France..
Other key personalities expected at the event are Chief Guest of Honour: Rt Hon Benjamin Okezie Kalu, Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives; with Diamond Guest of Honour as Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, Chairman, Senate Committee on Privatisation/ Commercialization; and Special Guest of Honour is Deputy Governor of Abia State, Engr Ikechukwu Emetu.
The planning committee said that the Father of the Day is High Chief Akwari Ukpabi, Grand Patron of IDA; Royal Father of the Day, HRM Eze Silas Okeofia Igwe (JP), the Okpi of Item and Host Royal Father of the Day is HRM Eze Jerry Akpala Igwe (JP), with Bishop Sunday Ndukwo Onuoha, Chairman of IDA Board of Trustees as Spiritual Father of the Day.
The committee said that the IDA leadership will use the event to commend Governor Alex Otti of Abia State for his giant strides in governance.
It said: “The IDA is grateful to the Governor for approving the total reconstruction of Umunnato Central School in Item as part of the government’s school renovation and retrofitting programe.
The town union expressed optimism that the three primary healthcare centers in Item slated for improvement and facility upgrades will soon receive the attention they deserve.
“The IDA is hopeful that Item will benefit from Governor Otti’s development projects and appeal to him to consider reconstruction of the major road into Item, namely, the Alayi-Item-Nkporo road,” it said.
The committee also quoted the IDA as commending tje Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, “for facilitating several on-going projects aimed at improving the quality of education in Item Homeland, namely: The ICT center at Central School, Amaokwe Item: ICT center at Comprehensive Secondary School, Okoko Item, Completion of Amaekpu Item Health center and the renovation of a building block at Amabo Primary School, Okoko Item and many other laudable gestures.”
For Senator Orji Kalu, the IDA expressed thanks for “attracting road infrastructure and for facilitating the following projects this year: renovation of classroom blocks at Central School, Okoko Item; Central School, Amaokwe and Community Primary School, Apuanu Item;; construction of a new classroom block at Primary School, Okai Item, which is on-going; on going construction of 0.6 km each in Okoko Item as well as Okai Item; and Installment of solar powered street lights in Apuanu Item.
The planning committee quoted the President General of IDA, Sir Onwuka Orji, as calling on the great people of Item Okpi to “partner with the town union in it’s infrastructure renewal programne, which has started in our public schools, and which include the reorganising and strengthening of our local security and the completion of all on-going infrastructural projects and attraction of new ones.”
