By Onwukwe Ezeru, Umuahia
Ndigbo have been called upon to retrace their steps and thinking towards their culture and tradition.
A prominent son of Ogbodiukwu community in Umuahia South council of Abia State, Chief Onyebuchi Sunday Emekobom (Eze Nwakaibeya) made the appeal at his residence during a special new yam (iri ji) festival organized by him.
He regretted that Ndigbo have lost so many of their traditions, lamenting that “in Igboland it is only few persons can remember what new yam festival is all about.”
He said that the attitude was not healthy for Ndigbo, stating that if no rapid measure was taken, one would someday sleep, only to wake up to observe that Igbo culture had gone to extinction.
He lamented that cultural imperialism and Christianity were part of the factors are forcing Ndigbo to rebel against their healthy culture and tradition. “So that is why I decided to revive it. We should continue with our culture and tradition. We should not allow it to die. We should not also allow Igbo language to die. Let us not neglect it”.
He debunked the erroneous believe as held in some quarters that new yam festival is fetish, pointing out clearly that the festival is all about appreciating God who made it possible for a farmer to plant and be alive to harvest his crops bountifully. He said, “New yam festival is just like other festivals. It is not fetish.”
When asked if he bought the yam from the market (the question was as a result of what a former Agric. Commissioner in the state, the late Kenneth Nwosu said that the yam Ndigbo celebrate were cultivated and harvested by the Benue people), he said, “the yam I celebrated was cultivated and harvested from my farm. I am a yam farmer. I want to seize this opportunity to call on our people to celebrate yams cultivated by them”.
Also, a former local government transition committee chairman, Emenike Onuoha, said that the host was using the new yam celebration to create awareness and sensitize the youth and farmers on the need to genuinely embrace agriculture.
He advised that since oil has failed, Nigerians should go back to farming, reminding all that the founding fathers of Nigeria like Nnamdi Azikiwe, Michael Okpara and others never believed in oil. “Our founding fathers believed in farming, that was why we could boast of the groundnut pyramid then. So what Eze Nwakaibeya is doing today is to create an enlightenment, we are so glad to associate with him”.
Also, a close friend to the host, Patrick Umekwe, described the event as a big encouragement to farmers who should bear in mind that when they toiled to plant their seed/ crop, they will equally harvest and eat happily.
He advised farmers not to be deterred by the present economic situation ravaging the country, expressing hope that soon, farmers will be recognized and placed on their rightful position in the country.
In his speech, Chief Emmanuel Egwu, a friend to the host, described agriculture as a green alternative to oil, stating that with the trend of event in the country, one does not need to be called upon before going into farming.
