After over a century of tradition and a turbulent period marked by intense political wrangling, the Italo Festival, popularly known as the Igala National Day will hold from December 30 to 31, 2026.
The two-day event is scheduled to take place in Anyigba, Kogi State, under the theme “Celebrating Our Heritage, Preserving Our Culture and Uniting Our People.”
Initiated over a century ago, by the forebears of the Attah Igala stool, the Uje’ju’-O’gu, known as Italo, is one of the most prominent cultural institutions and traditional festivals of the Igala people.
Historically held annually on the last Saturday of the year in Anyigba, the festival serves as a rallying point of the Igala nation, uniting all of Igala extraction to celebrate their heritage, settle disputes and discuss socio-economic development under the guidance of the Attah Igala. At its peak, it was where personal grudges among high-ranking Igala personalities were settled for the progress of the kingdom.
That euphoria was lost when in 2011, the festival was called off and the celebration subsequently put on hold indefinitely after some political actors of the state turned the venue in Anyigba into a theatre of political campaigns and violence.
It took the intervention of the 49th Attah Igala, HRM, Alaji Matthew Opaluwa Oguche Akpa II, to restore it in November 2022, specifically holding its grand return on December 30-31, 2022, after its hiatus.
The programmes for the 2026 celebration which encompasses cultural and social events include the physical entry of Royal homage, the Igala performance art, the ancestral masquerade, traditional praise chant (Ome), cultural exhibition and the Italo awards.
Organisers said the event will bring together cultural stakeholders, the Igala diaspora, traditional institutions and socio-political groups for a two-day celebration of heritage, unity and homecoming. They said Italo remains a significant platform for resolving regional conflicts.
The 2026 edition is coming after its revival and grand resurgence in December, 2022.
Speaking at that event, the Atta Igala, His Royal Majesty, Agabaidu (Dr) Matthew Alaji Opaluwa Oguche-Akpa said it was remarkable that after an eleven-year hiatus, the annual celebration of cultural heritage has resumed.
“Over the years, Italo served as a congruency of Igala unity and socio-cultural cohesion. We must return to the ideals. We therefore now have a huge burden for component leadership. The fellowship must embrace education in all its ramifications. We must imbue personal values, honesty, hard-work, respect for others, orderliness, self-discipline and self-reliance. The interest of the community should be superior to individual rights,” he said.
Ejeh of Dekina, Alhaji Dr Usman Obaje, said the 2026 edition has the support and recognition of the Igala Cultural and Development Association (ICDA), and the Kogi State Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
