Igbo new yam festival is biblical, Dr
AmaechiNwachukwuu



Tony Okafor,Awka



A cleric, Dr Amaechi Nwachukwu, has said the way the Igbo celebrate their new yam festivals is biblical.

Linking new yam festival to Israel, the cleric said it was a feast that was used to thank God for bountiful harvest in Igboland.


According to him, “Biblically, the Israelites have their planting and harvest seasons. Our ( Igbo) culture is close to that of Israelites. If there is no harvest, people will go hungry. That is why we thank God annually for giving us new yam after periods of labour.”

Nwachukwu who is the Zenith Labour party (ZLP) candidate for Oyi/Ayamelum federal constituency, in the 2023 general elections, vowed to prioritize bill that would grant farmers in agrarian communities a subsidized access to fertilizer to improve their farming outputs.

He stated these on Monday while addressing newsmen at the Awkuzu 2022 New yam festival celebration.

He decried the sufferings of the people especially farmers in agrarian communities who, he said, engaged in laborious task of farming to feed the nation without adequate care and support from government.

The medical doctor said when elected to represent his people at the green chamber, he would ensure that the farmers would receive the grants and support to encouraged them in their farming activities.

He said, “One of the things in my manifesto is to ensure that there will be steady supply of fertilizer to all the agrarian society both in my federal constituency and nationwide during planting seasons.”

“Oyi/Ayaemelum is an agrarian federal constituency. When I get to Abuja as a lawmaker, one of the motions I will move is to ensure that specific grants are given to all agrarian communities.

“There is need for the people of this area to have highly subsidized fertilizer supply, that is, if they cannot give it free of charge. Some people are the food basket of the nation and when such input as fertilizer is given to them at subsidized rates or free, they will produce more foods for the people.

“Fertilizer is very essential because when the farmers are well supported, they produce more and people are well fed. It will equally minimize crime and criminality in society.”

We will continue to denigrate our culture to satisy the spiritual trauma the colonisers left us