Culture, tradition revives at Abatete’s New Yam Festival

By lfeanyi Ndukwe (Saint), Awka

In the heart of Anambra,culture and tradition is thriving with purpose.

Last weekend, Abatete town in Idemili North Local Government Area burst into colours, drums, dance and tradition as it celebrated the annual New Yam Festival (Ịwa ji/Ịgụ Arọ).

This year’s event didn’t just honour the age-old rite of yam reverence. It echoed a bold state agenda in line with Governor Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo’s Farm-To-Feed policy.

At the centre of the celebration was Dr Law Mefor, Anambra State Commissioner for Information and a proud son of the soil. Clad in his full traditional regalia as Ichie Ọkaka Anụeyiagụ Abatete, Mefor led the way in the ceremony.

He began the festival on Friday at the palace of Abatete’s traditional ruler, Igwe Emeka Efobi (FNSE), represented by the revered Onowu, Chief Pius Ezeigwe (Obi of Agbaja). Together, they performed the symbolic cutting of the new yam; a revered act that marks the beginning of harvest season and gratitude to the gods.

“Yam is the king of crops. This ceremony is more than cultural display. It is a reaffirmation of our capacity to feed ourselves through hard work and farming,” Mefor declared at the Agbaja Civic Centre during Saturday’s celebration.

“Governor Soludo has charged us to go back to the farm. His Farm-To-Feed initiative (Ugbo azụ ụnọ) isn’t a theory. It’s a lifestyle.”

According to him, Abatete’s celebration demonstrates exactly what the Solution Government is preaching, a grassroots revival through agricultural sustainability.

Emphatically, he linked the New Yam festival to the Governor’s wife’s “Healthy Living with Nonye Soludo” campaign, which advocates organic farming and nutritious eating. “If we grow what we eat, we secure our homes and our future,” Mefor added.

The commissioner didn’t stop there. He personally led the yam-eating ritual for his kindred, Uruokolo, reaffirming his role as both a community leader and a state figure. His presence underscored the unity between tradition and governance, a synergy that many believe is key to Anambra’s rebirth.

Also lending his voice, Onowu Pius Ezeigwe praised Governor Soludo for his strides in education, technology, and infrastructure but appealed for more road development in Abatete. “We appreciate the projects,” he said. “But we also plead: let the roads to Abatete feel the touch of the Solution Government.”

In a show of solidarity, Chief Ifeanyi Metu, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on MSMEs, declared Abatete’s unwavering support for Soludo’s reforms.

“We are ready. We believe. We align with the vision,” Metu said.

The celebration drew prominent stakeholders including representatives of non-indigenes in Anambra, community leaders, cultural groups, and the leadership of the Abatete Development Organisation (ADO). Representing the ADO President General, Chief Ezedinobi Ezigbo-Nwadike, was Sir Anthony Adibe, who emphasized community empowerment through tradition.

From masquerade dances to palm wine libations, and hearty yam servings seasoned with native sauces, the festival wasn’t just a feast. It was a vision board for a state rooting itself in culture, economy, and responsibility.

Abatete’s 2025 New Yam Festival has proven that when tradition walks hand in hand with innovation, even the simplest rituals like slicing a yam become acts of transformation.

#AbateteNewYamFestival2025
#FarmToFeed
#SoludoSolution
#IchieOkakaAnueyiagu
#OrganicLiving
#ProlificStarMedia
#ProlificStarTV
#StrekMagazine
#AnambraTradition
#CultureMeetsPolicy
#YamIsKing
#HealthyLivingWithNonyeSoludo
#AgbajaAbatete
#SustainableAgriculture
#RuralEmpowerment
#CommunityFirst