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From Uchenna Inya, Abakaliki
Amenu Uburu, which sits in Adu Kingdom in Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, has produced renowned academics, professionals, merchants, technocrats, entertainers and political actors who have excelled across Nigeria and the diaspora, yet it is culturally buoyant with vestiges of traditional religion, even as it has embraced modernity in all ramifications.
Amenu Uburu is the birthplace of Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, first executive governor of old Abia State and former minister of science, technology and innovation. He was a quintessential gentleman, colossus, legend, political titan, academic giant and wordsmith in whom many were well pleased.
On August 31, Amenu Uburu transformed into a vivid tapestry of tradition and brotherhood. It was their day of iri ji ovuu (new yam festival). It was a significant ancestral gathering, drawing together sons and daughters of the community as well as their friends and well-whisher from all over the world. It was a day of glitz, glamour and razzmatazz.
That day, Amenu was aglow. It was painted red as men and women of timbre and calibre (apologies K.O.Mbadiwe) dressed resplendently stormed the place. Automobile wonders of all sorts glided in and whiff of perfumes rent the air. It was like a fashion trade fair. For instance, one of the special guests, Dr Stanley Ngene, an engineer of repute from Umuanum Uburu, was looking like a million bucks in his exquisite traditional attire. Two golden feathers adorned his headgear. And his wife looked like a model on a runway.
Aja Amenu, venue of the event, came alive, radiantly decorated. Even the masquerades wore elegant costumes and performed gloriously, symbolizing ancestral presence, spiritual blessings and community unity.
The drumbeats did not merely sound; they shook the very earth beneath the square. The afternoon heat hung heavy over the arena but no one minded the sweat. That day, the dust belonged to the ancestors.
Indeed, for the people of Amenu Uburu, it was a memorable event. It was an expression of thanksgiving for successes recorded, a celebration of the dignity of labour and doggedness of the people.
Initially, it appeared as if the rains may disrupt the ceremony because of the cloudy nature of the weather that day.
But the dull weather became bright to the excitement of all. It was as if the gods intervened.
Chief Elias Ene, President General of Amenu Family Union, said the Iri ji festival was very unique because it was the first time in the history of Amenu to celebrate it on its own. He called for sustenance of the festival in togetherness to deepen peace, unity and love and among the people.
Ene said the coming together of the people to celebrate the festival was made possible by the present leadership of the community under his watch.
He said: “We are celebrating this year’s new yam festival differently because this is the first time the people of Amenu Uburu are coming together for the celebration.
“If we have been having this type of thing before, nobody will be having problems with anyone in the community and we are very happy for the peace and tranquility in our community today because if there is any problem in our community, no one will be here today for the new yam festival.
“It is the first time we are celebrating together because the leadership of this community has not been functioning until I came in as the President General.
“I have brought unity, peace and progress to this community. I have laid the foundation of our civic hall here.”
Hon. Ogbonnaya Ene Odii, Chairman, Planning Committee of the new yam festival, explained that the event was used to bring the sons and daughters of the community together, describing this year’s celebration as historic and best of its kind. He called for total reconciliation among the people.
Odii: “We want to use this festival to bring our sons and daughters together.This is the first time we are coming together to celebrate our new yam festival and it is a thing of joy for us.
“We want to use this festival to unite our people. If anybody offends you in the community, you have to forgive the person, we are one family. We want to tell people that we have come out to make peace among ourselves because we are the giant of Uburu community.
“This new yam festival is a new year in Igbo land. It is like a new year because anybody that has cultivated and harvested his crops will bring them to the market. You can see our yams in this event, we can now give it to our people and our people can now go to their farms and harvest their yams after this ceremony.”
On his part, Chief Wilfred Ode Oji, Secretary General Amenu Family Union, disclosed that the community was celebrating the new yam festival together to celebrate purposeful leadership under the present administration in the community.
He said the current leadership has revived the culture and tradition of the community and brought the people together by celebrating the Iri ji Amenu in love, peace and unity
“This is a time we are celebrating our new yam festival together. It is a time for our brothers and sisters to come together and show love to one another. It is kind of a new year in our tradition. So, that is why we are gathered.
“For nearly five years or six, the village stayed in condition of no government and since the inception of our government, we revived the culture and brought our people together. We united everyone and we are one now.
“This is why we are coming together. Our people should continue to hold peace because without peace, we cannot achieve anything. If we come together as one, we will achieve bigger things,” he said.
One of the organisers of the event, Mr Ogo Nkwakpa, said: “We are a unique people, we are a blessed people and we cannot allow enemies to put a wedge in our wheel of progress. We are celebrating the goodness of God in the affairs of the community. I encourage our people to eschew bitterness and remain together as one people.”
One of the youth leaders in the community, Mr Enekwachi Ene Odii, opined that they have not been celebrating the new yam festival in unity due to some disagreements until the people decided to bury their differences.
“Amenu Uburu is one of the 14 villages that make up the community. We gathered here from far and wide, men and women, youths and the elderly to celebrate the grace of God in our lives, in our endeavours and our different ways of life.
“This is the first time we decided to gather as one family to celebrate Iri ji and also celebrate ourselves. Today is the epoch-making ceremony.
“The significance of this celebration is that for some time now, due to political exigencies, we were not coming together as one people. We were having many factions.
“But now, we have decided to bury our differences and come together as brothers and sisters. We said, let us use the Iri ji festival and come together, stay together and merry.
“We should be looking inward in any place we are. We should try to be identifying with our immediate families and any man or woman who is above 18 years, ought to be identifying with his kindred.”
High Chief Stanley Ngene declared that Amenu has advanced in Iri ji and other festivals of the community and that the festivals are getting bigger and better He said this was why the people came together for the first time to celebrate the new yam festival.
He urged sons and daughters of the community who are far away to look at home and invest at home to move the Amenu to greater height.
Ngene said: “Iri ji is the same thing in Igboland. It is a way of saying thank you to the Almighty God for the harvest of the past season.
“We are celebrating and thanking God for the bountiful harvest of last season. We have been celebrating Iri ji but it’s just that as the community is advancing, as we are spreading and as technology is coming in, things are getting broader and bolder. So, celebrations are getting bigger and higher.
“So, we have been celebrating Iri ji from time immemorial. It is just that we are now mixing up with modernity and that is why you are seeing it today being celebrated with fanfare.I advise everyone to look home, invest in home and look forward to bringing up Amenu to greater height.”
