Hon Chief Chukwu appreciates Ohaji clan leadership over successful 2025 Iri-ji cultural festival

By Chibuzo Munonye

A call has gone to the people of Ohaji clan in Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area to let the annual new yam festival be a platform for fostering new relationships, strengthening bonds of friendship and solidarity among the people and showcasing the rich cultural heritage as well as promoting tourism and boosting their local economy as a people.

A former member that represented Ohaji/Egbema state constituency in the Imo State House of Assembly, Hon Chief Luke Chukwu made the call in his speech on the occasion of the 2025 Iri-ji Ohaji annual cultural festival held last Saturday at Ohaji District Headquarters, Umuokanne in Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area.

Hon Chief Chukwu appreciated the people of Ohaji for their sagacity and commitment to preserving their cultural legacy and boundless dedication to the progress and prosperity of the great Ohaji clan, adding that the festival remains a proud symbol of their cultural heritage, unity and gratitude to God for a fruitful harvest.

He noted that iri-ji is not just a celebration of harvest, but a reminder of who Ohaji people are, pointing out that they are a people richly blessed with culture, wisdom and resilience and extolled them for being hardworking, hospitable and people with unbreakable spirit.

The former lawmaker commended the farmers whom he identified as extraordinary for their toil and hard work and wished them bumper harvest and also lauded the organizing committee for their relentless efforts in upholding the dignity of Ohaji people.

According to him, “Iri-ji festival is a period of thanksgiving to God for giving the people good health and life to plant and for bountiful harvest Yam is a very important life saver, an economic sustainer, father of the family and income earner, a spiritual root crop. In the olden days, every wealthy man must have a barn of ya

Hon Chief Chukwu disclosed that the festival was inherited from their forefathers and is not fetish, pointing out that It was fetish in the olden days but in the recent times, the fetish elements have been removed and the festival sometimes starts with church service.

He challenged Ohaji people and Igbo people in general to go back to their roots, embrace their culture and not let it die, regretting that Ohaji clan has many cultural dances and festivals and is an embodiment of culture, and urged them to come up, revive and uphold their cultural heritage because according to him, “People have used religion to wash away culture, they should go back to their ancient roots”.

Hon Chief Chukwu encouraged youths to cherish, embrace and preserve the festival, being their cultural heritage which their forefathers taught them and uphold advising them to give their maximum support to their traditional rulers.

He also emphasized the need for people to embrace farming as an alternative to oil and white collar jobs for food sufficiency and financial Independence and appealed to government to provide conducive atmosphere and enabling environment for youths to go into agriculture through mechanized farming.