Richard Henderson, an American anthropologist and author, has returned to Nigeria after 64 years to celebrate the 2026 Ofala Festival.
Henderson, author of The King in Every Man: Evolutionary Trends in Onitsha Ibo Society and Culture, arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on Monday from Tucson, Arizona, in the United States, accompanied by his son, Michael Henderson.
According to a statement by the Ofala Steering Committee, Henderson, who lived in Onitsha from 1960 to 1962, is expected to attend the festival scheduled for October 16 and 17, 2026, as a special guest of the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe.
The committee described him as an outsider who made the effort to understand the community, learn its language, and study its traditional institutions from within.
It added that his work provided an authoritative account of Onitsha society and culture, documenting institutions and traditions, including kingship, eze, ozo, umunna, ogbe and the spiritual significance of Ani.
The committee said Henderson presented these traditions as a living social system rather than relics of the past.
His book, published in 1972, remains an important reference on Onitsha society and culture.
According to the statement, it is respected in palaces and homes in Onitsha and is also recognised in the field of African anthropology.
The committee also highlighted Henderson’s continuing archival work with Helen Henderson, which preserves photographs, shrines, iba, okpulukpu and oral histories relating to Onitsha’s cultural heritage.
It said the archive contained materials that might otherwise have been lost, adding that Henderson’s contribution had earned him unusual reverence in the community despite being a foreigner.
Henderson was received at the Lagos Airport by a delegation from Ime Obi led by Chief Ben Epundu, the Ijagwo Obi.
Other members of the delegation included Ojinnaka Onyenyionwu, president of OIU Lagos, and Commander Tagbo of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport.
He is expected to proceed to Onitsha, Anambra State, to attend the annual Ofala Festival as a special guest of Igwe Achebe.
The Ofala Festival is one of Onitsha’s major cultural festivals that celebrates the Igbo culture, enterprise, and community impact.