Former Minister of Power, Professor Barth Nnaji, has stressed the need for Nigeria to preserve its indigenous traditions while embracing modern development, insisting that cultural continuity remains central to national identity and progress.

 

He made the remarks at the annual New Yam Festival of the Edeaniagu clan in Ishi-Ozalla Autonomous Community, Nkanu West Local Government Area of Enugu State, where traditional rulers, scholars, and indigenes gathered in a colourful celebration of unity and heritage.

 

Prof. Nnaji, an academic and technocrat of international repute, underscored the importance of cultural heritage in building resilient societies. He pointed to Japan as a model, noting that the Asian nation preserved its traditions even while advancing technologically.

 

> “We must not abandon our heritage simply because it has been undervalued by others. As we evolve, we must retain the elements of our culture that fortify our collective psyche and sense of belonging,” he said.

 

 

The festival, which brought together all 12 villages of the Edeaniagu community, was marked by traditional dances, communal feasting, and reaffirmation of ancestral values.

 

His Royal Majesty, Igwe Don Sylvester Chinedu Nweke, the traditional ruler of Edeaniagu, described the New Yam Festival as a sacred thanksgiving to God and the ancestors. While celebrating the strong turnout, he lamented the community’s infrastructural challenges, particularly dilapidated roads, which he attributed to political marginalization and neglect by some of the area’s elites.

 

“We have prominent sons and daughters, yet some have distanced themselves from the needs of our people. Government interventions have been selective, and our development has suffered as a result,” he said.

 

 

The monarch appealed directly to Governor Peter Mbah to prioritize Edeaniagu in the state’s development agenda, emphasizing his own commitment to living among and serving his people.

 

Also speaking at the event, Professor Munachim Nweke-Okoye, a scholar and native of the community, reflected on the spiritual and social meaning of the festival. She explained that the New Yam Festival symbolizes a covenant with the land and a reaffirmation of ancestral virtues.

 

“The Feast of the Soil reminds us that acts of goodwill yield harvests of peace and abundance,” she said, urging the people to uphold values of generosity, justice, unity, and sustainability.

 

 

 

The celebration ended with a renewed call for inclusive development, particularly in addressing Edeaniagu’s poor road network, even as the community reaffirmed its cultural pride and commitment to preserving ancestral traditions for future generations.