New Yam Festival Returns In Ndiowu, Anambra Community After Decades Hiatus
The people of Ndiowu Community in Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra have celebrated their new yam festival many years after it was put on hold.
The long period of waiting was due to the absence of a traditional ruler for over a decade which was successfully resolved with the installation of Igwe Chibuzor Okekeifi earlier this year.
The new yam festival brought excitement and air of relief to the community as the people once again has the opportunity to celebrate their rich cultural heritage and communality.
Reacting to the development, Chief Chimezie Onuorah, said the rebirth of the New Yam Festival was an event he never witnessed while growing up describing it as the beginning of a new era of unity, peace and development in the community.
Onuorah, a member of the Ndiowu Traditional Ruling Council and a philanthropist said he was filled with joy that such an event happened in his lifetime while appreciating God for making it possible for the people to reunite under our new traditional ruler.
Onuorah, popularly known as ‘Deme Deme Na Orumba’ said the celebration represented an opportunity for Ndiowu people to reconnect, strengthen communal bonds and work together for the development of their hometown.
He called on the sons and daughters of Ndiowu, both at home and in the diaspora to support initiatives aimed at promoting peace, unity and sustainable development in the community.
He reaffirmed his commitment to grassroots development through the Joseph Onuorah Foundation which had been intervening in the area of a Mini Stadium Project, classrooms blocks at Community Secondary School, Ndiowu and toilet facility at St. Lawrence Anglican Church, Ndiowu.
He said since 2017, the foundation had sponsored UTME and SSCE examinations for more than 50 students annually within and beyond Orumba North and South Local Government Areas.
“We have equally supported skills acquisition programmes for young people and sponsored the Ndiowu Sports Fiesta for the past six years.
“Helping others should be regarded as a responsibility, for me, it is not about giving back, it is about fulfilling a responsibility.
“In our Igbo culture, a person does not truly succeed alone. Whatever God gives you, you are expected to use part of it to lift others,” he said.
Onuorah said supporting education, empowering young people and investing in communities should not be viewed as charity but an investment in people which is also investing in the future of the entire community.
He urged young people to take responsibility for their future as they could not afford to wait for the government, their parents, community or people to come and change their lives.
He identified technology, agriculture, healthcare, artificial intelligence, construction, finance, entrepreneurship and skilled trades as areas offering significant opportunities while advocating the combination of formal education with practical and marketable skills.
He encouraged young people to think beyond their immediate environment and prepare themselves for opportunities in the global economy.
“Education gives you a foundation, but skills make you useful. Learn something that the world is willing to pay for.
“There is no sustainable shortcut to success. Build competence, discipline and experience.
“Your name is an asset. In Igbo society, aha is extremely important. You may lose money and recover it, but once you lose your integrity, rebuilding your reputation can be very difficult.”
“The world is your marketplace, acquire international-standard skills and learn about what is happening globally.
“To my illustrious brothers and sisters of Ndiowu, as you build your own future, do not forget home, your success should not end with you,” he said.
For Onuorah, the ultimate measure of success was not wealth or public recognition but the number of lives positively impacted.
“My greatest satisfaction is when I see a young person who received support become independent, build a career, help his or her family and eventually come back to help somebody else.
“That is the cycle I want to create,” he said.
