Ikwo Noyo Residents in Enugu Celebrate 2025 New Yam Festival in Grand Style

The Ikwo Noyo community resident in Enugu State on Sunday, 24th August 2025, gathered at Coal Camp Jamboree to celebrate their annual New Yam Festival, traditionally known as Iri Nji Ophungu. The colourful event, which has become a cherished symbol of Igbo cultural heritage, attracted illustrious sons and daughters of Ikwo land, dignitaries from Ebonyi and Enugu States, as well as lovers of culture and tradition.

The highlight of the celebration was the presence of the Member representing Ikwo/Ezza-South Federal Constituency and Chairman, House Committee on Reformatory Institutions, Rt. Hon. (Comrade) Chinedu Ogah OON, who joined the community in thanksgiving and merriment. In his goodwill message, Hon. Ogah commended the organizers for sustaining the annual festival, noting that culture remains the true identity of a people and must never be allowed to go into extinction. He extolled the Governor of Ebonyi State, His Excellency Rt. Hon. Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, and his wife, for their leadership and support, which, he said, has enabled him to serve effectively at the National Assembly. He equally applauded the Governor of Enugu State, His Excellency Barr. Peter Mbah, for his exemplary leadership and for providing a peaceful and conducive environment for Ikwo indigenes living in Enugu.

Ogah urged the people, particularly the youths, to shun social vices and criminality and instead embrace skill acquisition, entrepreneurship, and other lawful ventures capable of sustaining their livelihoods. Speaking further on the cultural essence of the festival, the lawmaker explained that Iri Nji Ophungu carries deep cultural and spiritual significance among the Igbo, particularly the Ikwo people. According to him, the festival serves as thanksgiving to God and the ancestors for a fruitful harvest, marks the beginning of a new agricultural year, symbolizes unity and identity, and serves as a platform for transmitting cultural values and traditions to younger generations.

The 2025 celebration featured remarkable activities, including the symbolic eating of the new yam by various autonomous communities of Ikwo Noyo—Unweka, Alike, Echara, Mgbebu, and Okpuitumo—signifying renewal and abundance. Other highlights included the launching of the Ikwo Almanac, fundraising for a union bus, and various cultural displays showcasing the community’s pride and development strides. Rt. Hon. Chinedu Ogah made a notable donation of ₦1,070,000 to strengthen the union’s activities, while also calling on prominent Ikwo leaders to rally more support for the union’s goals. Distinguished personalities at the festival included Prince Ifeanyi Ogbuewu, Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, who represented the Governor of Ebonyi State; Dr. Ilang Donatus Chukwuma, Commissioner for Education, Ebonyi State; Dr. Sam Nte Egwu, President of Ikwo Development Union; and Chief Ikepi Chibuueze, who chaired the occasion, alongside several other eminent Ikwo sons and daughters from the political, cultural, and academic spheres. The festival, beyond its pomp and pageantry, reinforced the Ikwo people’s bond with their heritage and showcased their resilience, unity, and determination to preserve Igbo traditions—even in the diaspora.