Igwe is the Igbo title for the monarch. HRH Kenneth Onyeneke Igwe Orizu III is the current Igwe Nnewi. Igwe Orizu III was born on 29 October 1925 and ascended the throne on 2 June 1963 as the 20th Igwe Nnewi. He is currently the longest-serving monarch in Nigeria and will be celebrating his 55th year on the throne at the annual Ofala festival in December 2018.

The Kingdom of Nnewi is arguably the oldest continuous monarchy in Eastern Nigeria with historical records tracing the beginning of the Nnewi monarchy to the 15th century well before the arrival of the Europeans. The succession to the throne is patrilineal and based on the rule of primogeniture. Igwe Orizu III ascended to the throne following the death of his father, HRH Josiah Nnaji Igwe Orizu II..