- Says Role Of Age Grade In Igbo LANd Should Be Restored
By Rose Oranye
The Anambra State Commissioner for Information and Value Reformation, Dr. Law Mefor, on Friday, September 18, 2026, received the leadership of Akuabata Age Grade, Ogbu Abatete, in Idemili North Local Government Area, who visited him at his office in Awka to congratulate him and align with the Soludo administration’s programmes.
The delegation was led by the Vice Chairman of the age grade, Mr. Charles Ubanwa, alongside the Chairman of the Akuabata Enlightenment Committee, Bar. Emeka Omaliko, and the Ogbu Youths Secretary, Mr. Elochukwu Onyedibe.
They disclosed that Akuabata, the youngest age grade being formed in Abatete, is planning a symposium in December, on the importance of age grades, which will draw participants from various Igbo communities, and invited the Commissioner to address the gathering.
According to Ubanwa, the visit was to align with Mefor’s current position and developments in the state.
Contributing, Bar. Omaliko said the age grade wants to create a paradigm shift in how age grades are perceived by enlightening and empowering youths to be useful to their communities.
Responding, Mefor described the age grade system as one of the enduring institutions sustaining Igboland, noting it was originally conceived as a community task force for development and security.
He recalled that the very first road in Abatete was created by an age grade, stressing that age grades and town unions remain engines of development. “Igboland is the most unionised group in Nigeria because every town has a union. Ndi Igbo lost everything during the war but within 10 years, we recovered and produced Dr. Alex Ekwueme as Vice President,” he said
The commissioner described their mission as noble and progressive and pledged his support, urging them to ensure presidents and secretaries of age grades in Abatete and surrounding communities are invited to the symposium to learn from experts.
He disclosed plans to work with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA)’s Alternative Development Programme to rehabilitate drug users and cut supply, adding that Abatete would benefit from the initiative, and listed Akuabata as one of the strategic organisations in the ministry’s Coalition of the Willing because its members are young.
In a vote of thanks, Mr. Onyedibe appreciated the Commissioner for his admonitions and assured that the message would be taken home.
