Igwe Kenneth Onyeneke Orizu III

Who is Igwe Kenneth Onyeneke Orizu III?

Igwe Kenneth Onyeneke Orizu III is the 17th Obi of Otolo and Igwe of Nnewi kingdom. He is the traditional supreme ruler and spiritual leader in Nnewi, an Igbo city in Nigeria. He is a member of the Nnofo Royal lineage and the successor to his father Igwe Josiah Orizu II, his grandfather Igwe Orizu I, and great-grandfather Igwe Iwuchukwu Ezeifekaibeya. Unlike most Igbo monarchies, there were kings of Nnewi before the arrival of Europeans. In Anambra State, Igwe Kenneth Orizu III is the vice Chairman of the Anambra State House of Chiefs and as of 2012 the longest-serving monarch in Nigeria.

Igwe Orizu II was instrumental in the clearing of the Agbo Edo forest. His cousin, Prince Nwafor Orizu was Nigeria's first republic senate President and his grandfather, Igwe Orizu I was the first Igbo man to own and drive a car. The Ofala Nnewi is a cultural festival held every year to celebrate the coronation of the Igwe of Nnewi.