In what could be described as royal rebuke of the old age long new yam festival, the Asagba of Asaba HRM Obi Prof Epiphany Azinge today said there was no reason to celebrate the festival.
The royal father described the present day new yam festival celebration as nothingness.
Listen to the royal father :Our new yam festival should not continue to be a yearly ritual that ends up in nothingness. So , the motivating factor should be how we can go back to the farm. As leaders, that should be our direction; that should be our focus, to bring the lost glory of this town and our people in the path of agrarian revolution so that we can truly celebrate our new yam festival.’
The Asagba of Asaba handed down this homily today while receiving a son of the soil, Nnamdi Odiwe who visited the royal father ahead of the new yam festival.
The monarch maintained there were very few farmers in Asaba , adding that it was out of place to be celebrating new yam festival.
The royal father explained the irrelevance of new yam festival: ‘If we are talking about time past when our people were predominantly farmers and harvested their yams I can understand and relate to it. But what we have now doesn’t add up. Let’s tell ourselves the truth, it doesn’t . We have to reawaken our people, else all that we do will end being spiritual, symbolic, but there must be some reality to it …… Spirituality yes, symbolical yes, but we shouldn’t be talking about bountiful harvest because there is nothing to harvest.’
The Asagba thanked his guest and subject for the visit, lauding his contributions to the development of the community, adding that at the appropriate time he would be appreciated.
Earlier, Nnamdi Odiwe disclosed that he led his family and friends to the palace ahead of the celebration of his new yam festival.
It is not ,however ,clear whether the royal father would participate in this year new yam festival because of the sentiments expressed.
Credit. Gallant Reporters
