Ogidi Community in Idemili North Local
Government Area of Anambra State was agog recently following the
celebration of the first new yam festival otherwise known as
‘Alommuo/Iwaji’ by the traditional ruler of the community, Igwe Alex
Uzor Onyido...
The festival which saw the mass return of
the people marked the one year anniversary of Igwe Onyido after the
community had stayed for 19 years without a traditional ruler.
The community also used the festival to
confer the chieftaincy title of ‘Dike Ejiejemba’ on Governor Willie
Obiano for his contribution to the community and the state at large.
Essentially, the festival signalled the commencement of eating of new yam in the community.
Oriental News observed that the event was
preceded by the visitation to the shrine by Igwe and his cabinet
members two days before the festival. At the shrine, the community
performed some cultural rites and presented some items to the gods like
yam, goat, kola nuts, fowl and other traditional items, which were to
show appreciation to the gods for keeping them alive and providing them
with bountiful harvest for the year.
On the morning of the festival day, the
Igwe would cut the roasted yam, which he eats first to signify the
commencement of the eating of the new yam in the community.
On the arrival of Igwe Onyido and his
cabinet members to the celebration arena, he was greeted with 21 canon
gunshot as he went round to greet the people before retiring to his
seat.
The queen and the wife of the king
(Ugogbeze) accompanied by titled women (Ndi Iyom) presented kolanuts
after they went round to greet the people.
Also various groups and quarters of the
community such as Akanano led by High Chief Emeka Nwabueze, Uru quarters
led by Chief Ugochukwu Okwuosa, Ezinkwo quarter led by Chief Okey
Okudo and Ikenga quarter led by Chief Emeka Udeze came forward to pay
homage to Igwe Onyido. In a chat with Oriental News, Igwe Onyido said
that the new yam festival was an annual event in Ogidi.
“We have to do some traditional rites
before we start eating the yam. It is a period in Ogidi if you are a
chief you will not be allow to eat the yam until the traditional rulers
of Ogidi bless the yam in the open and declared the yam safe for eating
which involves traditional rites.
“We also conferred ‘Dike Ejiejemba’ to
the governor, it is not me, it is the entire Ogidi that came together to
honour the governor for appointing our people in his cabinet and giving
me certificate of recognition within few months of my coronation and
from now onwards the governor has the right to join me in the cabinet
and will be given a plot of land to build a house in Ogidi.
“Governor Obiano right now is our brother
and our son. Ogidi people are peaceful, very kind, if you please them
they will please you, if you bite them they will bite you, if you love
them they will love,” the traditional ruler said.
The President General of Ogidi
Development Union, Chief Chuka Jideoffor Onubuogu in his remark said:
“We are celebrating one year of our royal father on the throne, Igwe
Onyido, and our new yam festival known as Alamuo/ Iwaji which coincided
with it. The festival signified the commencement of eating of new yam in
the community. The Igwe has to first of all open the action by roasting
the yam, calling us to the palace, inviting our well-wishers to the
palace.
“The reason for honouring the governor at the occasion was
that he has been very kind to our community, he appointed 11 persons
from our community, he gave us two tarred roads, youths
empowerment/skill acquisition centre and gave our Igwe certificate of
recognition after 19 years when we had no traditional ruler. You can see
the way everybody was jubilating today because peace has returned in
Ogidi, we now have a royal father of our choice.”
Traditional Prime Minister of Ogidi, High Chief Emeka
Nwabueze while celebrating his own new yam festival in his compound said
that the significance of the new yam festival was to thank God for the
bountiful harvest He granted the people of the community and for Him to
do more in the coming year.
“The festival is to bring together the people to thank God
who gave life and provided the yam for us to eat. This is also my first
new yam festival to be celebrated by me since I became the Ajie Okpala
Ogidi last year. I’m into agriculture and one of my major businesses is
agriculture and I want the youths to engage themselves in agriculture as
self employment instead of being idle and indulging in crime. I pray
for God’s protection for those who attended the festival and to give us
life to see the next festival,” Nwabueze said.
Also in his remarks, Chief Samuel Mendu described the yam
as the king of all crops, which was the reason for celebrating it from
age to age, saying that “in the olden days the yam is planted and harvested by this time, we roast it before eating with oil.”
Another native of Ogidi, Price Chinwe Onwuzulike said that
the turnout for this year’s new yam festival showed that lasting peace
has returned to Ogidi after several years without a king, saying that
the emergence of Igwe Onyido has brought the community together again.
Governor Obiano thanked the community for honouring and
endorsing him for another term, assuring them of equitable distribution
of projects across the state which Ogidi would not be left out.
The festival attracted various masquerades and cultural troupes.
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