Oko Kingdom, In Oshimili South, Set To Celebrate ‘Iwa Ji’

Arrangements are in top gear for the celebration of the 2024 annual new yam festival, locally called ‘Iwa Ji’, in the Oko kingdom of Oshimili South Local Government Area, on my 28th December. 

The Chairman, Planning Committee of the festival, Chief Victor Obi, during a media chat in Asaba on Tuesday, said the event would be epochal, with sons and daughters of the kingdom being expected to attend.

Chief Obi pointed out that though the festival had been in place over the years, this year’s outing promised to be different as it would coincide with the commissioning of the palace of the traditional ruler of the kingdom.

He said steps were been taken to ensure a hitch-free celebration that would be recorded in history as a veritable platform for showcasing the rich culture of Oko people.

Contributing to the chat, a prominent son of Oko and Special Adviser to the State Governor on Peace Building and Conflict Resolution, Chief Edwin Uzor, JP, said the Iwa Ji festival was an avenue to thank God for a bountiful harvest and look forward to a new farming season with expectation of higher yields.

Chief Uzor, who revealed that he harvested over 4,000 tubers of yam in the last farming season, stressed that Oko was a well known agrarian community, and unarguably the food basket of Oshimili South Local Government Area.

He explained that though the area had a record of bad road, that was not a challenge to the farmers because the River Niger served as an alternative route to market their produce, even as construction work had commenced on the road. 

The Special Adviser, however, expressed concern about the devastating effect of perennial flooding on farmlands in the area and urged the Federal Government to dredge the River Niger and construct shore protection walls to mitigate the problem.

Also speaking, another member of the Planning Committee, Hon Chuks Obusom, said the festival would attract eminent personalities from all walks of life, and would be of great significance to persons interested in culture and tradition.