Nawfia Community in Njikoka Local Government Area has celebrated its 2022 new yam festival in grand style.
According to the villagers, this year’s event marked the first joint new yam festival of the community after forty years of disunity.
Iwa Ji Nawfia had in attendance members of the ten villages that make up the community.
Addressing his subjects, the traditional ruler of Nawfia Community, Igwe Daniel Obele while pointing out that no community progresses or develops without peace, encouraged them to embrace peace and shun strife and violence as they will not do the community any good.
Igwe Obele thanked God for His blessings on Nawfia Community, expressing happiness that the community could after forty years of disunity, come together as brothers and celebrate new yam festival which he described as one of the highest celebrations in Igbo Land, and prayed God to ignite more of His love and unity among his subjects.
The Chief Protocol Officer and Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Chukwuma Soludo, Mr. Chinedu Nwoye, who hails from the community, expressed joy that Ndi Nawfia now celebrate new yam festival like other communities in Igbo Land and harped on the need for communities in the state to allow peace and unity to reign, for rapid development.
Also speaking, the President General of the community, Mr. Daniel Okoye, and the Cabinet Secretary, Chief Uchenna Aghamba, who was the chairman, Nawfia 2022 “Iwa Ji” Festival, while describing the celebration as a thing of joy, sense of oneness and brotherhood, appreciated God for restoring peace in Nawfia Community.
For the Transition Committee chairman, Njikoka Local Government Area, Mr. Clement Aguiyi, Ndi Igbo should uphold the good aspect of their rich cultural heritage from going into extinction, as according to him, culture remains the identity of any tribe.
Nawfia 2022 New Yam Festival which kicked-off with a special prayer session by Bishop Paul Ijeoma, of Liberty International Faithfulness, featured masquerades display and cultural performances by Umuada Nawfia and other groups.