By Ikechukwu Nmerengwa
WHAT was carefully planned as a coronation blossomed into a full-blooded carnival of culture, memory, and promise. On 27 December 2025, Uvuru Autonomous Community did not merely install a king; it lived a moment that will be retold wherever stories of identity and renewal are cherished.
From dawn, the air itself seemed to vibrate. Drums rehearsed their thunder, ogene rang like summoned spirits, and colours spilled across the land as indigenes, returnees, friends, and well-wishers poured in. By the time HRH Eze Sir Iheanacho Chinyereze Mbalewe mounted the ancestral throne as Ezeoha III, the community had become a moving tapestry – voices rising, feet dancing, hearts beating in unison.
The joy was layered with history. Forty-five years earlier, the same stool had been occupied by his father, and now the circle had turned again. Ululations rolled like waves as the new monarch arrived with his queen, Ugoeze Lady Mary Chinyere Mbalewe, both resplendent in regal traditional attire. The drums answered every step; trumpets split the sky; human voices – raw, joyous, unrestrained — rose without apology. It felt less like an event and more like a people exhaling after a long wait.
For the youths of Uvuru, the day crackled with a rare energy, an awakening charged with hope, purpose, and the promise of a future finally taking shape. This coronation, they said, marked a beginning – the opening chapter of empowerment, skills acquisition, and opportunity long promised. In their faces was belief: that the future had finally found its address.
When Ezeoha III spoke, the crowd leaned in. His words were not ceremonial filler; they were blueprints. He spoke of rebuilding -now, not someday – of inviting every son and daughter of the land, their friends and partners, into a shared labour of progress. The sense of urgency was unmistakable. True to that promise, empowerment and skills-acquisition programmes personally funded by the monarch swung into motion barely a week later, with forms distributed and screenings commenced on 5 January 2026. Training, the palace confirmed, would commence before the end of the month.
Among the distinguished listeners was Emeka Ihedioha, former Governor of Imo State and a son of neighbouring Mbutu. His presence underscored the regional weight of the moment, and the bridges the new reign intends to strengthen.
“In the life of every community,” Ezeoha III declared, “there comes a time for deep introspection – a time to pause, reflect on its journey, and align every step with its vision.” He paid homage to the dreams and sacrifices of forebears, urging that their unfinished work guide today’s choices.
With calm firmness, the monarch addressed old wounds. He called on those who thrive on discord to redirect their energies toward peace and unity, referencing a 15-year legal dispute that once stalled development. That chapter, he insisted, must remain in the past.
Then came gratitude, wide, sincere, and personal. “From the depth of my heart,” he said, “I thank you, my good people of Uvuru, for choosing me as your Eze.” He praised the peaceful process that brought him to the throne and pledged his heart, time, talents, resources, and networks to the service of the community. Declaring a new dawn, he dedicated the ancient kingdom to God, vowing to lead with righteousness, fairness, healing, forgiveness, and progress for all.
Special thanks followed, to the Imo State Government, Aboh-Mbaise, the clergy, brother traditional rulers, neighbouring communities, security agencies, and every hand that made the day unforgettable.
The story of the throne itself anchored the celebration. Uvuru Ikedinairi Ancient Kingdom, as it was once known, received formal recognition from the Imo State Government on 1 January 1980, when HRH Eze Reuben Ugwuegbulem Mbalewe was crowned Ezeoha I. On the 27 December 2025 coronation day, history did not just repeat itself – it advanced.
As dusk settled and the last drums softened, one truth lingered in the night air: Uvuru had not just witnessed a coronation. It had stepped into a shared promise, loud with hope, rich with heritage, and alive with the rhythm of a people ready to move forward together.
