Inyishi Community Celebrates 2025 New Yam Festival in Grand Style
By Kelechi Ugo
The Umuoziri Primary School, Inyishi Community in Ikeduru Local Government Area of Imo State, came alive on Saturday, November 15, 2025, as indigenes and guests converged to celebrate this year’s Iri-Ji (New Yam) Cultural Festival.
The colourful event drew dignitaries from across the state and beyond, including Hon. Dennis Okwu, fondly known as “Sweet Apple,” Dr. Lady Clara Njoku, and Hon. Chief Mbaoma Ikechukwu (Osisioma Ugo Nebe), among other notable stakeholders.
Highlights of the festival included the cutting of the new yam, breaking of kola nut, presentation of meritorious awards, and spectacular displays of traditional dances that showcased the community’s rich cultural heritage.
In his royal address, the traditional ruler of Inyishi Community, HRH Eze Andrew U. N. Osuji (Durumuike of Inyishi Ancient Kingdom), described yam as the “king of crops,” emphasizing its symbolic importance in Igbo culture. He explained that the Iri-Ji festival promotes unity among indigenes, noting that the hosting venue rotates annually among the component villages of the community.
Eze Osuji expressed delight over the impressive turnout and appreciated the media for consistently projecting the cultural identity of the Inyishi people to the world.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the 2025 Central Planning Committee, Sir Evans Ndubuisi Williams Owelle, thanked God for the gift of life and the opportunity to witness another edition of the revered festival. He described the New Yam Festival as a symbolic tradition through which the Igbo people express gratitude to God for fertile soil, rain, sunlight, protection, and a successful farming season.
According to him, the festival remains a strong symbol of unity, peace, progress, and collective development in the community.
The 2025 Iri-Ji celebration reaffirmed the community’s commitment to preserving its ancestral heritage while fostering harmony and cultural continuity.
