By Emmanuel Agbo
The Senior Special Assistant to the Ebonyi State Governor on Rice Mill and Manager, Ebonyi Rice World, Ikwo Branch, Hon. Abel Uzodimma Nwozaka (FIPMD), has called on the people of Izhi clan, particularly the younger generation, to prioritise peace, unity and reconciliation while preserving the clan’s rich cultural heritage.
Nwozaka made the call while speaking with journalists in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, on the significance of the 2026 Ojiji Festival being celebrated by the Izhi people.
He described Ojiji as a cultural institution inherited from the forebears of the Izhi people, stressing that the festival should not be misconstrued as fetish or an affront to religious beliefs.
According to him, Ojiji is deeply rooted in the cultural traditions of the Izhi people and promotes values that are beneficial to individuals, families and the wider society.
He said, “Ojiji Izhi is not fetish and does not contravene religion. It is a rich cultural heritage inherited from our forefathers, and anyone who sees it as fetish is far from the truth.”
Providing a historical background to the festival, the Governor’s aide explained that it traditionally marks the commencement of a new calendar year among the Izhi people and is closely associated with the consumption of new yam.
He noted that it was considered an abomination for an Izhi man to harvest and consume new yam from his farm before the officially designated day for the Ojiji celebration.
“From the day of the Ojiji Festival, an Izhi man is free to harvest and eat new yam. This is one of the important traditional practices associated with the festival,” he said.
Nwozaka further described Ojiji as a significant cultural feast symbolising love, peace, progress, unity and reconciliation among the people of Izhi and their neighbours.
He said the festival provides an opportunity for families, friends, neighbours, in-laws and distant relations to demonstrate love and strengthen social bonds through the exchange of yams, cooked food and other gifts.
Beyond the festivities, he said Ojiji traditionally encourages communal sanitation, with people clearing pathways, roads and other public spaces across communities within the clan.
He urged the people to shun all forms of negative tendencies, provocative conduct and actions capable of generating disaffection during the celebration.
The Governor’s aide said the 2026 edition of the festival should serve as a catalyst for renewed unity, love, peace and reconciliation among the Izhi people.
“This year’s Ojiji Festival should rekindle the fire of love and unity among us. It should also provide an opportunity for people to make peace and reconcile wherever there are disagreements, for the emergence of a greater and better Izhi clan,” he said.
Nwozaka also prayed for a prosperous agricultural season and bumper harvest for farmers across the clan and the state.
On the 2027 general elections, the Governor’s aide appealed to political actors to eschew politics of calumny, character assassination and unnecessary antagonism, urging them instead to focus on issue-based campaigns.
He called on politicians and their supporters to conduct their activities peacefully and responsibly as political activities intensify in the state, stressing that political competition should not undermine the existing bonds of brotherhood and communal coexistence.
