Imo: Ihedioha preaches unity at 2025 Iriji festival

Former Governor of Imo State Hon. Emeka Ihedioha has advised the people of Mbaise to use the 2025 Iriji festival as a yardstick to maintain enduring peace and unity in the land

Ihedioha in his message of felicitation to Nde-Mbaise on the occasion of 2025 Iriji (Yam Festival) held on Friday in Mbaise, Imo State, said that the Iriji should not only be a harvest of yams but of peace, progress, and unity that endures beyond the season.

While extending his warmest and heartfelt greetings to illustrious people from Agbaja, Ahiara, Ekwereazu, and Ezinihitte Oke-Ovoro gathered to celebrate the now-renowned Iriji Mbaise, he recalled that for over seven decades, the Iriji Mbaise has endured as one of the most treasured legacies bequeathed to the people by their visionary forebears.

ALSO READ: Ondo: Police warn against crime as Akure marks Aheregbe festival

According to him through the devotion of today’s culture bearers, it has evolved into a national cultural beacon – emulated by many, yet uniquely ours.

He said: “Rightfully, we may boast as pacesetters, for where others follow, Mbaise has long led”.

The former Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives remarked that the festival is not merely a tradition, but the heartbeat of their cultural calendar, a sacred thanksgiving to Chiukwu-Okike for life, harvest, and community.

He said the festival reminds them of who they are: a people of honour, resilience, and unshakable unity.

He said: “The Iwa Ji rite, central to this celebration, is a moment of solemn reverence, not only to the yam as king of crops, but also to our ancestors who taught us that dignity lies in labour, and that blessings flourish when community is preserved.

“Iriji Mbaise is more than festivity. It is a symphony of our identity, a weaving together of music, colour, joy, and ancestral pride. It is a spiritual and social homecoming; a time of exuberance, yes, but also of solemn reflection”.

Ihedioha prayed that the 2025 festival would rekindle in them a shared sense of purpose, deepen their cultural confidence, and call them to both preserve what is noble and build what is needed.

He paid special tribute to the traditional rulers, the revered Ezeji institution, the leadership of Ezuruezu Mbaise, and all those women, youth, custodians of our omenala, organisers, and culture bearers, who, together with other illustrious sons and daughters at home and in the diaspora, keep this heritage glowing with excellence and devotion.

He said: “As your son, I remain immeasurably proud of our story, and of the people who embody it with quiet strength and enduring grace”.