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By Ngozi Nwoke
As part of the Igbo-speaking community’s effort to promote their culture and tradition in Lagos, eminent personalities and others recently gathered in the Centre of Excellence to celebrate the new yam festival in style.
The event attracted people from all walks of life who thronged the venue to partake in the festival. Among the dignitaries were traditional rulers and government officials. And on hand to add colour to the festival were Igbo dance troupes and masquerades.
Those who were at the forefront of the celebration were the president-general, Chief Cyril Eze, HRH Eze Cyril Anomneze, Jude Chukwuemeka Omobowale, House of Assembly member, Oshodi/Isolo Constituency 2, HRH Eze James Nwalozie, HRM Oba Kabiru Agbabiaka, Oba of Isolo, Tony Ejeagha, first vice-president Igbo Speaking Community, and Chief Gloria Amazu, woman leader of Igbo Speaking Community. The event also provided an opportunity for the installation of chiefs in the state
As expected, indigenes from various parts of the South-East showcased the rich tradition of the Igbo, as dancers took turns to pay homage to the president-general and other title holders with shouts of “Igwe!”
In his address, the president-general said the festival was an annual event where Igbo people in Lagos showcase the rich values of the Igbo and help re-instill a sense of identity among the people, as well as promoting the language, culture and history of the Igbo.
“Today is a remarkable day for Ndigbo in Lagos, as we celebrate the new yam festival, award of excellence and coronation of our newly installed chiefs. It is a day of remembrance of legacy that our ancestors bestowed on us. We are here again to ask God to let us see the year 2022, and to thank the gods of the land in Lagos as well as to thank the people who came to celebrate with us.
“This is to make sure that people in Lagos will appreciate and respect the culture and tradition of Ndigbo and also our indigenous language.
“We use this medium to urge Igbo parents to imbibe in their children the habit of speaking and understanding the dialect, as it is our heritage. They should identify with our culture and be proud to promote it anywhere in the state,” he said.
While throwing light on the importance of the festival, Anomneze said: “This is a cherished culture of the Igbo and our heritage. This is a legacy we inherited from our ancestors and we can not allow it to fade away. This is also an opportunity for all Igbo sons and daughters in Lagos to come together and familiarise with themselves.”
Some of the highlights of the event were cutting of the yam and and giving of chieftaincy titles to illustrious Igbo sons. There were also awards of excellence bestowed on individuals in recognition of their positive contributions towards promoting Igbo culture and values in Lagos.
Jude Chukwuemeka Omobowale said the festival also exposed Igbo youths and other younger people in the Lagos to Igbo culture, with a view to inculcating in them a strong desire to build a glorious society established on the foundation of truth, justice, fairness and equity for all.
He noted that, to strengthen cultural ties with their host state, Igbo in Lagos felt that there was the need to sustain the cultural heritage and affirm their pride in the ethnic and cultural identity of Igbo.
Omobowale, who explained the importance of yam in the tradition and economic life of Ndigbo, noted that yam was the principal crop and a symbol of a successful farmer in Igboland. He said yam farming in Igboland has been a thing of pride from time immemorial.
The purpose, he said, was for promoting culture, unity and healthy social order among the Igbo at home and in Lagos.
“This year’s new yam festival is special because Igbo prominent sons and daughters across the global are here to grace this epoch-making event and it will enable us to showcase Igbo culture to the world,” he said.
Also, Amazu, who lauded the people for organising the festival, which she described as a unifying forum with the Igbo in attendance, said the event showcased the resolve of Nigerians to live as one indivisible nation.
She admonished Nigerians to be law-abiding and to continue living in harmony with each another in Lagos, adding that the importance of yam in Igboland was remarkable and a pillar that holds the Igbo together.
She said: “I urge all Igbo in Lagos to step up awareness on the tradition and culture of Igbo and the pursuit to encourage Igbo children in Lagos to speak Igbo language. It is regrettable that Igbo language is gradually going into oblivion and most young people do not understand the language. The benefits of speaking Igbo brings unity, love and understanding among us in any foreign land.”
