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A bit of nation building took place at Pyakasa, a suburb of Abuja, two weekends ago. It was the annual New Yam Festival organized by the Igbo community there. This was the 7th in the series of such festivals. It was also a ceremony to mark the 40th anniversary of Igbo presence and peaceful coexistence in the community. The first Igbo man arrived Pyakasa in 1971.



He is still alive in the FCT, married to a Gbagyi Lady. Thus Yam, in a manner of speaking, or eating, became a unifier of sorts. Yam, though a crop, which nevertheless has life, can unify. Kolanuts were also given out by the Eze during the festival. When summoned, various titled men stepped forward to collect and eat of the nut. Titles were given by the Eze, the King of the Igbo community, to people drawn from other parts of Nigeria, during the festival. The Igbo's have always lived in harmony with their Hausa, Ebira, Gbagyi, Igala and Tiv neighbours in the area. There was a strong sense of brotherhood in the air while the Festival lasted .A few hunters released a few shots into the air,which helped to put the audience in the right mood.

After all they were before Chief J.B.C. Udemba, Eze Ndigbo Pyakasa, who was present with Princess Nkasi Udemba,his daughter. An Ebira masquerade began to prance about from time to time, and the Ebira were present in large numbers. The Eze sat in colourful attire upon a seat. His titled men were present. Most of the men wore red caps,while the women wore bright attires. Soon a procession drew nearer. Some of the sweetest Igbo music ever heard by this reporter began to echo. The members of the procession, both men and women, danced gently from side to side in lovely festive dress. It was like a rainbow of sorts, but emerging from humans, rather than the sky. This too was another unforgettable sight. Dr Batos Chikezie comments on the Ahiajoku Festival in the paper he presented at the occasion. His words 'The new Yam festival. The biggest and most important singular event with enough clout to make every Igbo indigene come running home from wherever he or she resides.

It was an occasion for honouring Ahiajoku or Ifejoku (as the Igbo Deity of harvest is known in Imo and Anambra states respectively) for a rich and abundant harvest. The town's Chief Priest had the responsibility of leading the people in this sacred ritual to the shrine of Ahiajoku, and offering the biggest of the yam in appreciation, while praying for a better harvest in the years ahead.'In his presentation he described the Yam as the king of crops and also as a man's crop. His words 'Considering the pre eminence of a man in the Igbo African culture, the celebration of Yam as the King of crops as in the case of New Yam Festival is clearly inevitable. Beginning from July every year, the observance of the new yam festival commences across Igboland and continues till November'.

Eze Ndigbo tells Daily Trust in an interview that he and his family, together with all the Igbo elders in Pyakasa, began a fast when the yam was planted. This fast only ends with the commencement of the New Yam Festival. According to Eze 'I am the traditional ruler of the Igbos here. It is my duty to cut the yam as the high point of the festivals and declare it ripe for harvesting'. Two men were given chieftaincy titles during the Festival, along with their wives. These include Alhaji Shuaib O.E. Chatta , who has lived in the area for 16 years, and was made Ubiam -Were Oke 1 of Ndigbo in Diaspora, who is Ebira, and Chief Ernest Okechukwu, crowned as Aka Onye Wetere 1. The former was given a red cap and a horse tail, while the latter had a crown which had feathers placed into it.
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The annual Ahiajoku festival in Pyakasa has become famous for the award of titles to people who hail from places outside Igboland. This is bound to sow the seeds of unity. An example is Dr Yunusa Tanko,who hails from Kano,and who last year was given a title by Eze Ndigbo, Nwanne Ukwu din a mba 1, which means 'Igbo son in Diaspora'. Dr Tanko is very proud of his title, and says that his connection with Igboland goes back to his school days in Lagos, when he used to visit the East on holidays, as well as during festivals. He says that if most communities would emulate the Igbos of Lugbe as well as the Eze himself, peace would flourish in the country.

Nuhu Ribadu, one time EFCC Chairman has also received a title from Eze. His title means 'The Lion that protects the country'. As sunset neared it was time for Eze Ndigbo to cut the yam and eat of same, being the high point of the festival. He cut and ate of the yam. So did the other chiefs present. The drums intensified and the flutes sang as the yam and the stew became smaller and smaller and smaller, as each person stepped forward to eat of same.