..As He Promotes Unity In Diversity, Maintaining Peaceful, Healthy Relationships.

Igbo culture are best known in Nigeria, Africa for celebrating Iriji (New yam Festival. This event is significant in the calendar of Igbo people all over the world.

Iriji (New yam Festival) is an annual cultural festival by the Igbo people that is held at the end of the rainy season in early August.

The Iri ji festival (literally “new-yam eating”) is practiced throughout West Africa (especially in Nigeria, Ghana and other African countries and beyond.

The New Yam Festival is an annual occasion of offering and celebrating immense thanks to the gods (or God) for making the farm yields possible as well.

The New Yam festival is a highly captivating art event. The colourful festival is a visual spectacle of coherence, of dance, of joy and feasting, an annual display for community members, to mark the end of the cultivation season, a festival where the people express their gratitude to those that helped them reap a bountiful harvest.

It symbolizes the conclusion of a harvest and the beginning of the next work cycle. The celebration is a cultural occasion tying individual Igbo communities together as essentially agrarian and dependent on yam.

Every 17th of September, marks the celebration of IWAJI. EZEOKPOKO 1, EZE NDIGBO of Ijegun/ Ijedodo, Lagos State, HRM, Eze CC NWOKEDI gathers all the illustrious Igbo sons and daughters accross the world to celebrate IWAJI at his Palace.

Dr. Eze Nwokedi and Queen Ugoeze Nwokedi ( ADA – KA- ADA 1 of Ijegun/ Ijedodo welcome all the guests to the Festival of IWAJI.

This year Iwaji festival held on Sunday, 17th September was the 2nd annual celebration at his palace at Ijegun/Ijeododo. It was a special day where families, friends and wellwishers gathered together to celebrate the New yam Festival and deplayed their cultural heritage and dancing.

Dr. Eze CC Nwokedi in his frequently benevolence acts  has been supporting the widows, less privileged and orphans in the society. He extended his hands of love and friendship to non indigens by honouring them with chieftaincy tiles, it might interest you to know that most of his cabinet chiefs comprises mixed tribes.

Dr.Eze CC Nwokedi is a man of grace, peace, love, a pragmatic leader par excellence, loving, humble, a good listener and caring royal father who puts other people interests first.

He also stretched out his hands of love to the Nigeria Police Force by supporting,  encouraging, giving some of them chieftaincy titles and presenting awards to some dedicated officers and other virtuous individuals the community.

Because of his affable nature, he has been able to win the hearts of many distinguished people in all all walks of life.

AIG Zone 2 Onikan, comprising Lagos and Ogun, AIG Ari Ali Muhammed
was among the Very Important Personalities who graced the Iwaji Occasion. AIG Ali Muhammad described Dr. Eze Nwokedi as a generous man, and a philanthropist.

In his brief speech, he stated “I commend Eze Nwokedi for his generosity and kind gestures, he truly deserves to be a king because he has these great attributes.

He however enjoined the officers to be more diligent and dedicated to work, he said “to whom much is given much is expected, the essence of  presenting you all these awards is to encourage you to put more efforts, to be more effective and dutiful.

“You are all recognised and nominated for these awards because of the quality services you have all rendered to the community, so, do not disappoint us  and continue to put more efforts. When another time of reckoning comes again it wont be only awards but it will be attached with cash gifts to support the awards. I thank you and i wish a happy and fruitful new yam festival”.

In response, Dr. Eze CC Nwokedi acknowledged AIG Ari Ali Muhammed for gracing the Iwaji festival thanked him for his unflinching support he said “AIG Ali Muhammed is my long time friend we have been together for a long time and its time for me to honour him with a chieftaincy title of AGUNECHEMBA OF LAGOS AND OGUN STATES soon”.

Also, in an interview with the man of God, Prophet Dr. Anene Nwanchukwu of RHEMA CHAPEL CHURCH in Iba, described Dr. Eze CC Nwokedi as a benevolent man, a long time friend, indefatigable, pragmatic king who is ever ready to assist the less privileged in the society.

“My take on IRIJI NEW YAM FESTIVAL is not a bad festival, it is welcoming new yams to our homes is a joyful moments for sober reflection that our farm product can reproduce. New yam festival is giving thanks to God for new crops.

“In Comparing culture and Christianity, when you begin to apply or combine charms to what you are doing or attacking people with black magic that is when culture becomes bad”.

Other attractions are given Chieftaincy titles to distinguished personalities, cutting and eating of the new yams, cultural displaying music, beating of drums, talents singing, women dancing, cultural flutes display, masquerades dance displays and so on.

Eze (Dr.) C.C.Nwokedi, chairman of the Council of Ndieze in Lagos and Eze Ndigbo of Ijegun and Ijedodo communities in his interview with the pressmen disclosed that the NEW YAM FESTIVAL and AUGUST VISIT has been Igbo tradition since time immemorial.

He, however noted that is a belief and taboo for anyone to comsume yam which has not been presented to God, gods to bless and not even when the Eze’s have not performed the rites and pronounced it edible, as it was done at the palace.

Other important dignitaries present at the festival were;

AIG Zone 2 Onikan Lagos, AIG Ari Ali Muhammed.

Prophet Dr. Anene Nwanchukwu General overseer of TREM Chapel Church Iba.

Eze(Amb) Nicholas Emenike Njoku, Eze Ohazurume , Eze Ndigbo of Aigbaka Ejigbo.

Other Eze Ndigbo”s in Lagos and outside.

Other VIP’s not mentioned.