We Are Not Worshipping Yam, We Are Thanking God — Amuzukwu PG Defends New Yam Festival  

Monarch, friends, People’s Circle Association celebrate Iri-Ji in Amuzukwu Ibeku

UMUAHIA — The President General of Amuzukwu Ancient Kingdom, High Chief Barr. Iheanyi Marcus, has said the annual New Yam Festival, Iri-Ji, is a cultural thanksgiving to God for life and bountiful harvest, not idol worship, and must be preserved.

Chief Marcus stated this during the community’s 2026 New Yam Festival held on Monday, September 14, 2026, which coincided with the community’s Orie market day.

According to him, the festival is a tradition handed down by forefathers and preserved by the community as a people.

He explained that activities for the day began at the village square where age grades and branches of the town union, including Lagos and Port Harcourt branches, presented gifts, yams, drinks and kola to the traditional ruler, who is the custodian of the community’s culture.

“We jubilated, danced, and praised God for preserving our lives to witness today’s New Yam Festival. We made merry,” he said.

Responding to criticisms of culture by some Christians, the PG argued that healthy cultures must be preserved.

“Culture is dynamic, but we are enjoined to preserve the ones that are healthy, that are okay. Any culture that is okay must be preserved,” he said.

“In the Bible, we make reference to the God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob. They are mentioning their forefathers just like we mention our own forefathers. If we borrow the Bible wholly and expunge our culture, we are doing a great disservice to ourselves. There is no human sacrifice. There is nothing fetish about it. We even praise God that He is the one giving us life, that He made the yams to grow and mature.”

On food security, Chief Marcus urged residents to return to farming, noting that yam is symbolic of all legitimate means of livelihood.

“Any small space you have, use it effectively. Plant yam. If you are a civil servant and don’t have time to farm, you can invest in farming. Anything you are doing to earn a living is your own farm. Our prayer is that God will bless our yam. We are not worshipping yam. We are using it as a point of contact to thank God,” he said.

Also speaking, Chief Ikechukwu Azuogu, a member of the People’s Circle Association and friend of the PG, said yam is the king of crops and deserves celebration.

Chief Ikechukwu Azuogu
Member of the People’s Circle club

“These are yams I got from my own farm. I’m a farmer. We don’t worship yam, we celebrate it. It has been handed down to us for generations. I’m from Mbaise, we ate new yam on August 15. When we eat yam, we eat it with pride,” he said.

He added that the People’s Circle Association, of which Barr. Marcus is Secretary, came in solidarity to celebrate with him.

Another member of the group, General Collins Eke, commended Amuzukwu and Ibeku communities for sanitising the festival and curbing youth violence that previously characterised the celebration.

“Some of us have lived in this area, Umuahia, for many years. When Ibeku is eating yam, we try to avoid movement because of destruction by youths. But I thank God for the way they have tamed the people. We have not seen that. They have sanitized the whole thing. Yam festival is a good thing. It’s not tied to paganism. I’m a Catholic and the Church preserves culture,” he said.

Gen. Collins Eke

The celebration ended with prayers, dancing and merriment as guests partook in the new yam feast.