The Enugu state Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Madam Rita Mbah, has allegedly requested that a sum of N5,000 be paid into her Ministry account before a popular event Oja Cultural Festival could be given the certificate to hold in the state.

This is according to a report by a man identified as Charles Ogbu who is one of the organisers of the event. He took to his Facebook page to call out the Commissioner and expose her plot to block the holding of the event.

Charles Ogbu wrote:

I’m actually very ashamed to announce that the biggest obstacle to this year’s OJA CULTURAL FESTIVAL seems to be coming from the Enugu state Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Madam Rita Mbah

The OJA GROUP has earlier visited the honorable commissioner weekS ago to brief her about the upcoming cultural event as well as seek the support of her ministry but surprisingly, the honorable commissioner became so enraged that the organizers have fixed the date without getting clearance from her.

She insisted they must first register again to get a certificate before they can stage any cultural event in the state and still pay the sum of 5000 to her ministry. (Note: OJA is already registered with CAC and has even won two awards in far away Ghana and South Africa)

Yet, Amarachi Atama and her team complied and went to the designated bank to pay the specified registration fee after paying the other 5k to her ministry. After I hosted the Commissioner on phone via text, she asked her people to refund the 5k which they specifically asked for.

But rather than issue the OJA GROUP with the certificate for the registration money they already paid at the bank, the commissioner insisted they must reveal their sponsors first. Attempts to make her see that the event is being crowd-funded on Facebook fell on deaf ears. I have sent her series of text messages explaining that OJA CULTURAL FESTIVAL is the efforts of patriotic UmuIgbo who simply want to preserve their culture. Yet, she wouldn’t bulge.

The OJA GROUP will leave all they have to do to go to her office, spend the whole day waiting and this Commissioner will just come out and drive home leaving them sitting there waiting like a slowpoke.

When they call her, she will claim to have instructed the HOD to issue the certificate but when they go to the HOD, she will deny receiving such instruction from her Boss, the commissioner. This is how this Commissioner has been riding them like Yusuf Buhari’s motor bike

All because they volunteered to do a thankless job of promoting Igbo Culture and language, something for which this same woman is receiving salaries and allowances for.

Ihe nke a, omakazi?

As I type this, Amarachi and her group are still owing huge debt after producing that poetic documentary on Biafra titled BIAFURU. Some members of the groups have left out of frustration. Now, in a touch of shameful irony, a whole Commissioner for Culture is the one obstructing the hosting of a Cultural event.

Is this encouragement or discouragement?

Please guys, some of you here have donated to this event, help me text or call the honorable Commissioner Rita and make her understand that CrowdFunding is not illegal. When a govt seems to have abandoned the people, the people have a right to refuse to abandon themselves by coming together to CrowdFund any event that is of interest to them.