…Nwifuru, stakeholders stress need for peace, unity, urge sustainable culture
By Jeff Agbodo

On Monday, July 6, 2026, the Ezekiel Cultural Civic Centre in Onueke was abuzz with excitement when the people marked the grand finale of the Oke-aku festival with pomp and pageantry. Oke-aku in Ezza land marks the end of the old yam harvest and the beginning of the new yam harvest. This festival, which usually comes between July and September, is much valued and respected in Ezza land because it brings unity among the people.


The festival is marked with lots of cultural displays, visitation, a show of charity through exchange of gifts among families, and reverence to God who provides for them all through the year. And this year’s celebration drew thousands of Ezza Ezekuna sons and daughters and their friends and well-wishers from across the state and beyond. It is a celebration mainly used to renew the bond, unity, hope, brotherly love and genuine reconciliation among Ezza people.


The cultural centre, filled to the brim, was agog with excitement and cultural display during the grand finale, which marked the completion of the festive period, which spans across the four traditional market days: Orie, Afor, Eke and Nkwor, according to the Ezza Ezekuna cultural calendar. It witnessed an unprecedented turnout of illustrious sons and daughters of Ezza, both at home and in the diaspora, their guests and culture enthusiasts from other clans across Ebonyi State, including Izzi Nnodo, Ikwo Nnoyo, Ngbo Ejogu, Afikpo, Ohaozara, Amasiri, Igbo Asaa, among others, who came to identify with the people.


The atmosphere was electrified with cultural dances, traditional displays, and communal feasting that showcased the rich heritage and unity of the Ezza people. The festival also highlighted the economic and social benefits of the event. It promoted social cohesion and community bonding among the people of the clan.


An offering is made to the spirits, with special reference to the presiding deity of the yam.
In the olden days, fowls offered as sacrifice must be carried to the farm and slain there, with the blood sprinkled on the farm. But modernity has changed all that.


At the event, community leaders and stakeholders emphasized the importance of peace and preservation of cultural heritage. In their separate speeches, the Chairmen of host local government areas of Ezza extraction, Ezza South, Mrs. Eucharia Nwali and Ezza North, Chief Moses Ogodo Ali, thanked God for seeing them into a new year and prayed for bountiful harvest. They called for efforts to document and promote the festival, as well as to pass down the cultural knowledge and traditions associated with it to younger generations.


The Chairman, Ezza Ezekuna Elders Council, Chief Innocent Ugo Chima, in his remarks, said that the Ezza Ezekuna Oke-Aku Festival was instituted by the revered ancestral father, Ezekuna, to bring order to society by marking the end of one farming season and the beginning of another.


“Since then, it has become our traditional New Year, symbolizing the end of scarcity and the arrival of abundance. More than a festival, Oke-Aku is a celebration of our identity, history and shared destiny.
“It reminds us that a people who cherish their heritage preserve their future. Through the generations, it has remained a unifying force, strengthening brotherhood, promoting good neighborliness, and preserving the timeless values of truth, love, unity and hard work.


“As we celebrate this year’s Oke-Aku, let us remember that no community prospers through division. As the saying goes, ‘a broom sweeps effectively only when its strands remain together’. Let us therefore renew our commitment to peace, reconciliation and collective progress, building on the enduring legacy bequeathed to us by Ezekuna.


“May this Oke-Aku usher in a year of abundant harvests, prosperity, harmony and greater development across Ezza land. May our heritage continue to unite us, and may the bonds of brotherhood grow even stronger,” Chima stated.


The Chairman of Ebonyi State Traditional Rulers Council, HRH Eze Charles Mkpuma (Ezeburugbala III) of Ezama Kingdom, who welcomed Governor Francis Nwifuru, called for support for the Governor to succeed in office. He urged the governor to complete the Ring Road that connects Ezza people and settle the traditional stool tussle of Izzo community in Ezilo to bring lasting peace in the community.


Mkpuma described the Oke-Aku cultural festival as not just a celebration of the new yam festival, but a celebration of stronger unity of brotherliness, love and truthfulness which Ezza people are known for as bequeathed to them by their progenitor, Ezekuna. He enjoined the people to maintain the tempo and remain united in peace and love for prosperity and peace of Ezza land.


He commended the efforts of Ezza Union, the elders and other custodians of Ezza culture for their continued remarkable roles in creating awareness and upholding the rich cultural heritage of the Ezza nation.


Governor Francis Nwifuru, who graced the occasion as the special guest of honour, was received with warmth and admiration by the people. Traditional gunshots rent the air during the event to mark honour and respect for the state’s chief executive.


Nwifuru, while addressing the crowd, extolled the people of Ezza Ezekuna for their overwhelming turnout and the continued show of love and solidarity towards his administration.


The governor, who was deeply touched by the unity and massive support of the Ezza people, urged the people to remain steadfast in their support for the present government, as their loyalty and unity are sure pathways to attracting more government attention in the pursuit of their collective aspirations.


He expressed gratitude to the elders, cultural custodians, stakeholders, youth groups, and particularly the Ezza Elites Club led by renowned businessman, Mr. Chibuike Orogwu for the honour, gifts, and solidarity shown to him during the celebration.


Nwifuru reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring peace and development across Ezza land and the entire Ebonyi State, emphasizing unity, oneness, and peaceful coexistence as essential for progress and sustainable development.


He urged the people to uphold the Oke-aku new yam festival that has remained their binding force, calling on youths to go to the farm to feed the state, stressing the return to the cultural heritage of marrying more wives as their forefathers did.


The Chairman of the occasion and Chairman, Esthington Group, Dr. Darlington Ugota, called for peace and unite in Ezza land. He advised Ezza people at home and abroad to help one another, establish and empower others in business and skills. He enjoined the youths to imbibe the core values of Ezza culture of what he called authenticity and never allowed themselves to be used against the interest of the Ezza nation or cause violence in Ezza land.


Ugota urged the political office holders in Ezza to unite to build Ezza Nation and attract development in Ezza land. He warned against bringing down syndrome but to support the progressive gesture of Ezza people.


“We should love ourselves. This type of occasion calls for sober reflection where people should think and know that there is a need for unity, there is a need for peace, everybody needs that peace,” he stated.


Senator Ken Ezze, representing Ebonyi Central Zone, who had earlier in the week gathered the stakeholders of Ezza Ezekuna clan at his country home in Ohigbo Amegu Ezza South to celebrate Okeaku Ezza (New Yam Festival) said it is a cherished cultural festival that heralds a new year of thanksgiving, renewal, and hope. described the event as an important occasion in Ezza land.


“This is the culture that unites the true sons of Ezekuna. It is a practice that started from our ancestors, and they transferred this culture and tradition to their descendants, starting from Ezekuna, who is the famous ancestor that gave birth to us. Once we do our celebration as we are doing now, others will follow up in order of seniority.


‘This is our traditional way of counting our own calendar. So, we started the new year now by the celebration that marked the end of last year, which is the Oke-aku festival.


“This Oke-aku festival is very significant because we believe that it is the time that our elders release blessings to their children. It’s all about blessings; we are praying for what we are to see in the year we have entered, and we believe that once we celebrate this occasion and we receive the prayers and blessings from our elders, our sons will be blessed in their businesses, in their workplaces, in any kind of trade they find themselves doing”, he said.