The 2026 Globacom-sponsored Ofala Festival in Onitsha, Anambra State, commenced in spectacular fashion on Wednesday with a vibrant Youth Carnival organised by the Onitsha Ado Youth Council (OYC), heralding the commencement of a celebration in which cultural heritage, youthful exuberance and royal tradition converge in magnificent harmony.

The carnival featured an array of cultural groups, including the Otu Odu Onitsha, Egwu Odu and Agbalanze, whose members, resplendent in elaborate traditional regalia, danced through the streets of Inland Town, Onitsha, in honour of the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe. Beyond its festive allure, the procession provided a compelling showcase of the rich cultural heritage, enduring customs and collective identity of the Onitsha people.

One of the most captivating highlights of the carnival was the imaginative manner in which young participants recreated the grandeur of Nigeria’s traditional institutions. Adorned in meticulously crafted costumes representing eminent traditional rulers, including the Obi of Onitsha, the Oba of Benin and the Ooni of Ife, the youths transformed the streets into a living tableau of royal splendour, underscoring the capacity of cultural expression to bridge generations and keep ancestral traditions alive.

Following the street procession, the participants converged on the old Ime Obi, along St Stephen Anglican Church Road, where fashion parades and a variety of competitions among the participating groups added further colour, excitement and creative expression to the festivities.

The Ofala celebrations will continue with the Iru Ofala on Friday, October 16, and the Azu Ofala on Saturday, October 17. A Royal Banquet, organised by Globacom in honour of Igwe Achebe, is scheduled for Wednesday, October 21, at the Ime Obi, Onitsha. The festivities will culminate in an Ofala Thanksgiving Service on Sunday, October 25, at St Stephen’s Anglican Church.

In a statement, Globacom said its enduring association with the Ofala Festival reflected a corporate philosophy that recognises culture, alongside connectivity, as a vital instrument of national development.

“Ofala is far more than an annual cultural celebration; it is a living testament to identity, continuity and collective aspiration. It embodies the enduring spirit of a people, preserving the wisdom of their past while illuminating the possibilities of their future.

“Our sustained partnership with this magnificent institution reflects our conviction that preserving our heritage and advancing society are not competing imperatives, but mutually reinforcing pillars of a progressive nation. Culture provides the roots from which collective identity draws its strength, even as innovation creates new pathways to shared prosperity.

“This is the essence of Globacom’s clarion call, ‘Never Settle for Less’: to honour what is worthy, preserve what is precious and continually aspire to something greater,” the company added.

The National Publicity Secretary of All Progressives Congress (APC), Felix Muoka, has insisted that Nigeria and Nigerians are better off than ever before, saying the party will win the 2027 presidential election based on its positive records.

Muoka said the APC is working hard to secure voters’ support, adding that the party would not take Nigerians’ votes for granted.

Speaking on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme, Thursday, Muoka said the party’s preparations and campaign efforts are aimed at securing as many votes as possible in the next general elections.

He said: “Qualitatively speaking, our country is better. Nigerians are better today than they have ever been. Is there a country that has transited from this depressed economy, like we have had for decades, to that level of prosperity that didn’t go through these stages?

“Nigerians also understand that. So what the president has done is to give this country a fighting chance, not just at recovery, but at building the prospects for sustainable prosperity.”

On the inauguration of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, he said: “What you saw today and what we’ve been up to is really taking ourselves seriously. If we thought this was all said and done, we wouldn’t put in this level of energy and work in an effort to really get to the last vote within the electorate. We are not taking this for granted. We’re taking it very seriously. I’m sure that if our party was docile and we were doing nothing to campaign or put out our information, you would also bring me here to say that we had been very docile. We’re a political party.

“We are a party for a reason. We are in this to compete with other political parties and to win the support of Nigerians. Since 2023, there’s a reason that our party has been very successful. Since the last general elections, we’ve won fantastically all elections in which we have contested. There’s a reason for that. It’s because we prepare. We do our homework.

“Nigerians bought in and voted for our party massively in 2023. We won that election, even though there are elements who want to claim that they won without evidence. But we won that election without question. As I said a few minutes ago, in every other election that has been called since then, Nigerians voted, not Indians. Nigerians voted in all the other elections since 2023. We won by upwards of 90 per cent.

“Let me remind you that the APC is the governing party in this country, put in office by Nigerians. Already, the answer to your question has been codified in an election in which the APC is governing, not just at the centre, but in so many states in our country.”

On the APC’s chances in 2027, he said: “We will win the election. We are working hard to win the election. I think that Nigerians are going to stand tall, shoulder to shoulder with the APC to win the next election.”

Masked thieves broke into a warehouse in Cortona, Italy and made off with around 30,000 bottles of wine from the prestigious Marchesi Antinori vineyard worth more than US$5 million (NZ$8.9m), in what the company says could rank among the largest wine thefts ever reported.

The thieves silenced the alarm system to carry out the daring heist, which took place at the weekend, but was only discovered on Monday when workers arrived to prepare the wine for export, Antinori’s CEO Renzo Cotarella told CNN on Friday.

The stolen wines were all from 2023 and include some of the winery’s most sought-after labels that retail for between €150 and €500 ($299 and $998) internationally.

“Solaia, and Guado al Tasso, and Tignanello are the most icon(ic) wines we have,” said Cotarella, describing them as category-defining examples of the famous “Super Tuscan” red wines of the region. Between 60,000 and 70,000 bottles of Solaia are produced each year, and the thieves took around 10,000 bottles.

No arrests have yet been made. Cortona police said they were conducting an extensive manhunt, but would not say whether they believe the two trucks used to steal the wine were still in Italy.

“Given the scale of the theft, both in terms of the number of bottles stolen and their estimated market value, the incident may rank among the largest wine thefts ever reported,” Marchesi Antinori said in a statement. “The investigation by the competent authorities is ongoing, as are the assessments required to determine the precise extent of the theft.”

Cotarella said the company is urging consumers not to purchase these wines from unknown sellers, and to report it if any appear on the market. Because the wine was in the warehouse to be shipped out, it was boxed and packaged, making it easier for the thieves to remove.

The heist follows a string of other wine thefts. Last month 3000 bottles of Barolo worth around €400,000 were stolen from the Conterno Fantino vineyard in Piedmont. It is unclear if the thefts are connected.

Marchesi Antinori was founded in 1385 and is currently run by the 26th generation of the family. It exports to 170 countries and has annual revenues of around €265 million.

Cotarella said he believes the wine will be found. “Two trucks cannot just disappear. I remain always positive,” he said.

CNN