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From Scholastica Hir, Makurdi
The Igede Agba (New Yam) festival is an annul event celebrated by the Igede people of Benue State. The festival is typically held on the first “Ihigile market day” in September, as a thanksgiving to God for a successful yam harvest, a celebration of the “king of crops.”
Traditionally, it also marks the beginning of the new planting season for the Igede people. It involves cultural dances, music, traditional displays, consumption of pounded yam and family reunions, reinforcing community spirit and cultural identity.
In celebrating the 2025 edition, the member representing Oju/Obi federal constituency in the House of Representatives, deputy chairman, House Committee on Army, Hon. David Ogewu, organized a series of events that added colour to the festival and impacted the lives of his constituents.
In a pattern he has adopted yearly, Ogewu organized a health outreach, a security summit, and distributed hospital equipment to two hospitals in his constituency, as well as tricycles and motorcycles, accompanied with helmets, to hundreds of beneficiaries. He equally doled out cash to youths and women in his area.
The event, which stretched from September 1 to 6, was to promote, unite and keep his constituents abreast with happenings within and outside the federal constituency and equally deepen the celebration of the Igede-Agba festival.
The festivities were designed to provide spiritual and physical security, strengthen social engagements, community outreach and empowerment for constituents through knowledge transfer and acquisition of empowerment kits for individuals as well as hospital equipment.
The programmes kicked off on September 1 with clergymen and women holding a ministers’ Fire Conference, a free medical outreach and skills acquisition training, which ran simultaneously for two days at Oju Local Government Area pavilion.
While the prayer summit drew clergymen from across Oju and Obi LGAs as well as guest minsters from Abuja, Makurdi and Port Harcourt together to pray for the peace and progress of Igedeland, Benue State and Nigeria at large, a large number of constituents turned up for the events, even as thousands of constituents seeking medical attention in various areas of health concerns benefitted from the free health services and distribution of corrective eyeglasses.
The skills training also recorded hundreds of participants who signed up, with a major focus on making the participants financially independent.
On September 3, the security summit/stakeholders’ meeting and constituency briefing was held at AGC Secretariat Road, Oju LGA, and in attendance were major players in the Nigerian security sector who brainstormed on the security situation in Oju/Obi Federal Constituency and Benue State at large.
The major players in the event included the Chief of Defense Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, who was represented by Maj. General M. Gara, the Force Commander of Operation Whirl Stroke; the chairman of the EFCC, Mr Ola Oluyede, who was represented by the Zonal Director of Makurdi Directorate, Anselen Ozioko; the Director-General of State Security Service, Mr Adeola Ajayi, who was equally represented by Benue State Director, Dr. Nkadap Obi-Bisong; Benue State Commandant of the National Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), CC L.A Bitrus.
At the security summit, Ogewu, called on the people of Oju/Obi federal constituency to continue to support the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in his drive to reposition the country.
The legislator appreciated the security agencies for all their efforts in maintaining peace in the federal constituency and equally call on the IGP for the establishment of Police Area Command in Oju/Obi federal constituency.
He said looking at their borders with several other states and being a little bit close to Cameroon, there was need for a security joint taskforce to patrol the entry routes from Aliade in Gwer East LGA into Oju and Otukpo to Oju LGAs.
Ogewu also requested the EFCC to set up operational offices in Oju and Obi LGAs to monitor the allocations coming to the local government coffers and to ensure that the funds are used judiciously in line with the grassroot development of renew hope agenda of a President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He appreciated all the security heads for their genuine concern for safety of our dear country Nigeria.
One of the keynote speakers and Commander of Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) Maj. Gen. Moses Gara, representing the Chief of Defense Staff, advocated for tolerance and peace-building efforts in order to engender harmonious coexistence in Igede land. Other security heads admonished youths and the general public against the danger of criminality, particularly Internet fraud, cyber-bullying, kidnapping and abuse of substances.
On September 4, Ogewu joined his people at Okpokwu Council Ward in Obi LGA in marking the official celebration of the 2025 Igede-Agba. At the event, he highlighted his efforts in the National Assembly so far and the love Mr President has shown the Igede people with huge support from the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, and his colleagues. He equally reiterated his commitment to the development agenda for Oju/Obi federal constituency.
The third place football march of the Ogewu Football Tournament also took place on September 4, where the third position emerged. Ogewu also inspected the ongoing drilling of motorized boreholes to provide clean water for the people of Okpokwu council ward of Obi LGA.
September 5 witnessed the day for the final march of the Ogewu Unity Football Tournament, and a winner emerged. He also empowered the widows and orphans from his constituents.
One of the major highlights of the event was the flag off of the 2025 empowerment programme and distribution of hospital equipments by Ogewu which was done by the president. The programme saw to distribution of haulage tricycles, motorcycles and helmets, award of cash grants to constituents to boost their businesses.
The widows and orphans were equally empowered with students benefiting from the school bags and excise books distributed across the federal constituency.
Ogewu also acquired state of the art hospital equipment which includes clinical, laboratory equipment and beddings among others items for the general hospitals both in Oju and Obi LGAs in order to boost healthcare delivery in the federal constituency. He said there was need to upscale health care provision in his constituency to minimize fatality rate especially among pregnant women and children.
The entire Igede people were happy with Ogewu, describing his leadership charisma as unprecedented in Igede land and many remarked that since 2017 that Ogewu returned to Igede land, things have changed positively for the people both in infrastructural development and human capital development.
The people who were equally happy that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu listened to cry of their son all the time, thanked the President for his foresight in leadership.
On September 6 being the grand finale of the week-long activities for the 2025 Igede Agba celebrations, the event, beyond the aura of festivities and culture cultural exposition, drew both state and national attention with President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in attendance He was ably represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Sen. George Akume.
Tinubu, through Akume, described Igede-Agba as a national event and lauded the Igede nation for preserving the culture of the land. He promised to report back to the president with the demands of Igede people, particularly as it concerned the deplorable state of roads in Oju/Obi federal constituency as well as the resuscitation of the moribund Oyongo water works as requested by the Adirahu Ny’Igede, Oga Ero, CP (retd).
Ogewu said President Tinubu has done well with the ongoing construction of Oju-Adum-Cross River Road and appointments of two illustrious sons of Igede nation into various offices.
He appreciated the governor of Ebonyi State for the ongoing construction of Oyongo bridge linking Benue and Ebonyi states.
Ogewu equally appreciated the SGF Sen. George Akume for his love towards the Igede people, recalling that he gave deputy governor slot to Igede people during his days as Benue State governor, among many other benefits.
He called on the Nigerian government to continue remembering Igede land by appointing more Igede sons and daughters into key offices in the current administration.
The lawmaker equally appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to sign the two bills concerning the Igede people when presented to him.The bills are “Bills for the establishment of Biomedical Science University in Oju LGA” and “Bill for the Upgrading of the General Hospital, Obi LGA to a Federal Medical Center.”
The Igede Intermediate Area Traditional Council honoured the President and conferred the Chieftaincy title of Ahigbo Ny’Igede (The light of Igede nation) on Ogewu in recognition of his development drives in Igede land.
