ANAMBRA MONARCH URGES YOUTHS TO EMBRACE AGRICULTURE AS HE CELEBRATES NEW YAM FESTIVAL 

By Juliana Nwachukwu  :

The Traditional Ruler of Ogidi, Idemili North Local Government Area, Anambra State, Igwe Pharmacist Alex Onyido has urged the  youths to go into agriculture especially farming as a major means of fighting hunger in the land as obtainable in those days which sustained our grandfathers.

He made the urge during his 2024 new yam festival celebration held in his palace, adding that not only will farming fight hunger but will also keep the youths busy instead of roaming the streets in search of white collar job that is nowhere to be found.

He described newyam festival (Alo Mmuo), as an inheritance from our forefathers, stating that it is the reason the people give the forefathers the yam to eat first during the celebration as mark of honour before the people will eat it.

“The ancestors are saints like you have saints in the church. In the Igbo culture we have saints, Nwankwo, Nworie, Nweke, Nwafor, among others as you have saints, Cyprian, Peter, John, Philip, among others,” he stated.

He lamented that with the high cost of food items now and pump price of fuel, the only way out of the socio-economic and political quagmire is to embrace agriculture.

“The pump price of fuel now is #1250, a tuber of yam is about #5000, not to talk of other food items, we have teeming youths and they should go to farm now. The economic hardship is an ill wind that blows nobody good,” he stated.

He deplored that excessive taxation on imported goods has exacerbated the situation, emphasizing that essential items like pharmaceuticals should be exempt from high taxes.

“We still pay old tariffs, multiple taxation on importation of wares. A lot of things are happening at the ports, government should help out importers of these essential commodities,” he pleaded.

Highlight on the occasion was paying of homage to the monarch by his cabinet members, dance groups, town union branches, in-laws, friends and well wishers.

In return each person smiled home with a tuber of yam and fowl as the case may be as the monarch’s appreciation to participants during the celebration.

* Nwachukwu is of the Ministry of Information, Anambra State *