Iri Ji: Nwachukwu hosts Ndigbo in Lagos, says Igbo Community Centre now home for tradition, Custom

Eze (Dr) Christian Uchechukwu Nwachukwu (Igbo 1), Eze Ndigbo of Lagos and Chairman Council of Ndieze on Saturday, November 14, 2020 gathered all the Igbos in Lagos at the Igbo Community Centre at Okota for the singular purpose of celebration of the New Yam Festival, SUCCESS DAMIAN reports.

Iri Ji Ceremony is globally acclaimed to be synonymous with the Igbos both at home and in the Diaspora and that is the reason the Igbo Community Centre which has become the epicenter and custodian of Igbo tradition and custom made it an annual ritual to gather all the Igbo people in Lagos, their friends and well wishers to celebrate the Yam Festival.

The Iri JI day is a unique occasion mapped out by an Igbo community to celebrate the yam as the king of crops in Igbo land; it is also designed for the people to eat together, drink and make merry. Not just that, it is a day the people showcase their cultural heritage in the form of masquerade, dance, songs, beautiful attires, food, in fact when things have not falling apart, it was an opportunity for men and women to find their suitors because the people came out in their best attires and mannerisms.

No wonder Igbo Community Centre under the indefatigable Leadership of Eze (Dr) Christian Uchechukwu Nwachukwu as usual hosted the entire Igbos in Lagos for this year’s Iri ji Festival.

Speaking to a crowd of Journalists, Nwachukwu disclosed that Igbo Community Centre has been fully recognized by the Lagos State Government as a house of Tradition and Custom. “The Igbo Community Centre is the house of tradition and custom, we are here to perform our cultural heritage which is the Iri ji, that is the New Yam Festival and it is also a day for the commissioning of Igbo Community Centre by His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who sent the Director of Ethnic Community to commission the centre, today, Saturday, November 14, 2020.”

Eze Nwachukwu used the opportunity to express gratitude to the Lagos State Government for recognizing the centre as the house of tradition and custom especially for mediation and maintenance of peace between ethnic communities. “We thank the Governor, we thank the Chief of staff; we also thank the Director that came to commission the centre. This place is now purely recognized by the government of Lagos State, that all Igbos in Lagos State should attend functions, events, and seek redress on any issues that bring about disagreement among them and between them and other ethnic communities in Lagos State, we have the Hausa community, Igbo community and Yoruba community, our host community.  We have a relationship that is built over many years now under Governor Ashiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, followed by Governor Fashola, Ambode till our present able Governor, His Excellency Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu.”

The event which was graced by illustrious sons and daughters of Ndigbo in Lagos including Hon. Jude Chukwuemeka Idimogu, the lawmaker representing Oshodi/Isolo Constituency 2 in the Lagos House of Assembly, also played host to Sariki Hausa, other ethnic communities as well as representatives of Government at all levels.

High point of the celebration was the coronation of some illustrious sons and daughters of Ndigbo in Lagos, who have excelled in their various fields of Human endeavors.  “We have Ada Igbo 1 of Lagos, she is a good lady, the second is a police DPO, we crowned her Ocho Udo 1 of Ndigbo for her effort in resolving the crisis that emanated during the last election, she played a very vital role and brought back the two tribes having misunderstanding and she arrested the situation and assisted the person who supposed to be the injured man and saved life, so with that we saw her as a problem solver who made that peace to come at that point in time. Therefore we gave her Ocho Udo 1.

“Another one is DC Ops, he is an Assistant Commissioner of Police Lagos State, he also assisted to have mobilized the CP and AIG to come down to Oba of Isolo where we gathered and arrested the situation. All the communities were there, and we resolved in principle that everyone should now go and take care of his community and there was peace. So based on their contributions and crime fighting intelligence, they brought peace between the two communities, we appreciate them. The DC Ops we gave Dike Ndigbo na Ala Igbo because he played a vital role.”

 Speaking on his relationship with Igboburuotu Social Club of Nigeria he said, “Igboburuotu is a very big association, a respected one for that matter in Lagos State. They have really played a pivotal role in mobilizing for many businessmen and women; they exist by helping themselves and helping people the less privileged. The association president, Chief Chika Nwokedi is my relation who is very honest and determined person. As a God-fearing president he helps those members in their businesses, so I am their patron. Igboburuotu and Igbo Community are working hand in hand, as patron and president.”

Eze Nwachukwu thanked the indigenes of Lagos for creating an atmosphere of peace and an enabling environment for business to thrive. “We thank the indigenes for given us this chance of relationship.”

 Nwachukwu used the opportunity to sympathise with the people and government of Lagos State over the EndSARS crisis. “We sympathise with the government of Lagos State, we sympathise with Ashiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, we sympathise with all the affected areas, organizations, businesses that had issues during the EndSARS protest in Lekki, also we have assured the government  and party that Ndigbo are not behind all the issues, we have also assured the governor that the Igbos  will stand by him and his government in his policies and programmes, we have a common understanding with Lagos State government and we believe in one Nigeria.”

Advising the Nigerian youths, Eze Nwachuwu said that the youth should see their protest as an honest demand from the federal government but that they should also apply caution. “God never leaves any man alone, it is only patience, endurance, forbearance that is the key in life,” Nwachukwu advised.   

Lagos First Lady, Fagbohun, others harp on MSMEs as engine for national productivity …As LASU marks 2nd Research Fair

Success Damian:

First Lady, and wife of Lagos State Governor, Dr lbijoke Sanwo-Olu; the Vice Chancellor of Lagos State University (LASU), Prof. Olanrewaju Fagbohun and other experts have stressed the importance of research and micro, small and medium scale enterprises (MSMES) in national productivity 

This much was gathered at the 2nd Lagos State University Research Fair which took place at the university main campus at Ojo on Tuesday, 17^th November 2020.

Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu who was Chairperson of the Fair, while assuring the university of continued support by the Lagos State Government; stated that the MSMEs remained the engine room for national productivity “There are many global brands in Nigeria but they are not the engine room of national productivity. The MSMEs are. This shows there is hope for our young people to go out there with their small businesses and compete with the best. There is hope to be more creative, innovative and do research.

She added that as part of measures to ensure productivity, the Lagos State Government launched its MSME funds designed to equip them with survival strategies against unexpected challenges thrown up by Covid 19. She added “Whatever we do to improve MSMEs in Lagos will have a multipliers effect on job creation, security, amongst others.”

She concluded by saying that the theme of the Fair was therefore a testimony of LASU's contribution to the THEMES agenda of the state government.

On his part, Prof. Fagbohun said that the idea of having a LASU Research Fair, which was in its second edition, was conceived upon establishing that there was a dearth in getting a conducive forum within the university space where individuals with laudable research ideas could come together, ventilate, share their ideas and network with colleagues.

He recalled that the first edition themed ’Driving national development through research and innovation’ which held last year was a huge success. “We had 19 exhibitors with over 500 participants cutting across different areas such as the academia, industry, government ministries and parastatals. 

“As a follow up to the maiden edition, we have decided to adopt the theme: Innovative Products and Designs for Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMES). Our focus this year is on MSMEs because government is making efforts to diversify the economy by reducing its dependence on crude oil for revenue generation,” Fagbohun disclosed.

Stating the impact of MSMEs on national economies, Fagbohun said MSMEs are important agents of economic growth across the world. “In Japan for instance, 80% of the total industrial workforce is in the SMEs sector while it is 50% in Germany and 4600 in the United States of America. In some developing nations such as lndia, Indonesia and Mali, SMEs have been recognised to constitute more than 9500 of the manufacturing sector and have become a very strong engine for development in terms of provision of employment, industrial output and export promotion. 

“As an institution that is responsive to the needs of its society and an incubator for research and technology, we decided to choose this theme so that we can contribute our quota to the advancement of MSMEs in Nigeria,” the VC said. 

Chairman Governing Council, Prof. Adebayo Ninalowo, on his part said that if the country was serious about increasing its GDP and reducing the current unemployment rate, more emphasis must be placed on MSMEs.

“Universities are also expected to play their part, contribute to knowledge creation that will improve the lives of the citizens. I hope the papers to be presented will lead to advancement in different areas of MSME and I hope the take home will be applied by the government. 

“I want to congratulate the Vice Chancellor for the creation of the Centre for Innovation and Research being spare-headed by Prof. Odusanya. The heartbeat of a university is research and innovation.

Prof. Olumuyiwa Odusanya, Director, Directorate of Research Management gives his welcome address said “Our university has taken a strong step to strengthening research culture; many of our academic have won major research grants.”

While stressing the significance of MSMEs, he asserted that the MSME sector employs over 80% of our workforce, adding “Through this research fair, our university demonstrates its commitment to solving national problems and being valued partner to the state government,” he said.

Director, Centre for Entrepreneurial studies, Prof. Martins Anathekhai described entrepreneurship as self-reliance and development of knowledge. He maintained that entrepreneurship is self-development, which could lead to self stability and comfort, insisting that everybody must think like an entrepreneur. “Today, we should all think about knowledge based activities that can make all self-reliant.”

 

 

Round peg in round hole: Ikechukwu Nnamani emerges ATCON President, set agenda

Success Damian:

Telecoms Sector in Nigeria is set to witness an era of robust and efficient operations through advocacy as Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) elected Ikechukwu Nnamani as their new president.

Nnamani who is the president, Medallion Communications, emerged ATCON head at the Annual General Meeting  (AGM) and National Executive Council Elections 2020 of the association which was held at Victoria Crown Plaza Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos on Thursday.

Nnamani who took over from Olusola Teniola, has also set his agenda which encapsulated all that he will be doing to propel the association to greater height in the next two years.

The new ATCON President said that his core agenda for the association was to strengthen the membership. “The core agenda is to strengthen our membership, make sure that every member of ATCON gets good representation in area of advocacy. We are going to focus on the needs of our members and how can we promote it especially in areas where they are having challenges with government agencies, the regulators, to help out in that advocacy, because what we found out is that it is a lot easier when members come through the association to address issues affecting them than when they go alone.

“You suddenly notice that you are not the only one facing the same challenge. So when the regulator sees that more than one entity is facing the same challenge they take it more serious than when they see that it is isolated to one particular company. So that has been one of the advantages, you noticed that a few of our members gave testimonies how the association has helped them out in the area addressing challenges affecting, may be, on issue of right of way, especially and other regulatory challenges both local, state and federal,” Nnamani disclosed.

Nnamani added that another area of focus by his administration is in the area of Telecom Financing. He stated that a lot of the members have complained about challenges of getting access to the right means of debt equity and FOREX for importation of technical equipment. “The other area that is very key to us, which we also intend to pursue, is Telecom Financing, a lot of our members have complained about challenges of getting access to the right means of debt equity, or even FOREX for those that require importation of technical equipment and infrastructure. So we will be engaging with relevant government agencies on that.”

Nnamani also disclosed that the new executive will also work to strengthen the Secretariat to make it more efficient. “As an organization we will strengthen our secretariat, make it more active, more efficient in its operations and ultimately in the next two years that this particular Exco will work we intend to help grow the industry. We are discussing with our members, how do we extend communication service across the country, not just in the big cities?”

He added that his tenure will see to the uplifting of the members that are still struggling in their businesses. “Part of what we intend to do is also use advantage of some of our members that are already established to help out the ones that are still struggling, it is a major area we want to focus on. How do we ensure that people look at it as an industry thing, not just having one or two people that are doing well and others are not, so we actually intend to do that, because what we found out is that there was no platform for people to talk, sometimes, even among members there are challenges that should have been easily resolved if it is discussed under a common platform,” he said.

Speaking on Covid-19 and the role of the Telecoms Sector in the new normal, he said “From a head perspective, we were all unhappy with Covid, we actually wanted it to go away sooner than later. But the truth also is that it has, for our particular sector, it has made our services more important and more viable. The challenge is that before now, a lot of the plans most of us had like five years plan, we suddenly found out that those services are needed now. So there is a need to accelerate the process and timeline to implement some much needed critical infrastructure. So that again, goes back to issue of having the right funding in place for that. But from a country stand point and industry stand point as you noted, imagine if this Covid came 20 years ago, and giving the state of the telecom infrastructure that time, it would have been a disaster, but from the e-health solutions that members were able to offer, to even Fintech services that members were able to offer, to traditional phone, SMS and data services that our members were able to offer, the country at least was able to operate, so the new normal really is a digital normal and that is the truth. Covid only accelerated it, making that obvious to everybody and we feel, from the sector we play in, this is a call for our members to step up more and be able to offer more efficient services.”

On issue Communication Bank he said it is part of the agenda of the new Exco. “It is a key thing we intend to work on. It is actually among our agenda of this section, but we don’t want to tie it to just a bank because it could be in other formats. We are rather looking at it from a telecom financing standpoint, whether it leads to establishment of a telecom bank, fine, if it doesn’t, as long as finance is available in one form or the other. Not just the availability of the finance, but at the right structure. Today finance is available but it is very expensive, the terms and conditions , very few companies can meet it, in fact those that can meet those terms and conditions  are those that don’t need the finance, so that is what we found. So it makes it very important to us that in one way or the other, the right means of financing is available.

“One of the things we are looking at, which is another way that the industry can grow, is through direct foreign investment. One of the things that have been helping our members is actually, how do you structure your company to be able to attract foreign investment, so that you are not only relying on local funding, but you can actually get inflow of funding from the outside,” Nnamani stated.

Paylink sponsors UI SME Fair, provides digital empowerment

Success Damian:

Paylink, an e-commerce platform that empowers businesses to showcase their products and services online and get paid instantly, has partnered with the University of Ibadan (UI) to sponsor the premier institution’s Small and Medium-scale Enterprise Fair (UI SME Fair) which would hold at the International Conference Centre of the university on Thursday, November 12, 2020.

In a release, this disclosure was made recently when authorities of the university announced plans for the event which, among others, would foster a robust town-gown relationship between the university and the SME community. The event also offers participating SMEs varied opportunities which include the discussion of specific business issues with SME coaches and mentors, interaction with business and product researchers as well as guidance on intellectual property protection.

Now in its second year, the UI SME Fair would further expose small and medium scale businesses to how they can better leverage digital platforms like Paylink to more easily expose their products to local and international markets, make it more convenient for customers to pay them through multiple channels, and help them better manage inventory, invoicing and revenue tracking.

“As an organisation committed to the development of the Nigerian economy, we are always ready to partner to help bring to fruition the dreams and aspirations of Nigerians, especially millions of SMEs spread across the country. This is evident in our previous partnerships with organisers of similar SME-focused initiatives like Lagos SME Bootcamp and the Social Media Week Lagos,” said David Okeme, Division Head, Vertical Markets and Payment Applications at SystemSpecs, providers of Paylink.

“It is for this reason we areglad to collaborate with the University of Ibadan on the hosting of the SME Fair especially at a time like this that the national economy needs to be rebuilt and accelerated following the slowdown occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic,” Okeme added.

Themed “Co-create the Future”, the 2020 edition of the UI SME Fair follows the inaugural edition last year which featured hundreds of SME owners and managers, researchers, representatives of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, financial institutions, Industrial Trust Fund and government. The event’s keynote will be delivered by the managing director of Nigeria’s Bank of Industry, Kayode Pitan.

According to a statement signed by the university’s Deputy Vice Chancellor responsible for research, innovation and strategic partnerships, Professor Olanike K. Adeyemo, the event would “showcase SMEs in order to inspire research direction/focus of the University Community” and also “establish a web-based platform (UISME-HUB) to moderate the collaborative network between the SMEs and the University of Ibadan.”

While participation is free, SMEs interested in attending and showcasing their product and service offerings at the fair can register via the website for the organisers, sme.ui.edu.ng.   

The 2020 UI SME Fair would be streamed live on Paylink’s Instagram account, PaylinkNG, as part of SystemSpecs’ support for SME capacity development and digital empowerment.

NTITA: NCC, Danbatta bag Fresh Awards for broadband development

Success Damian:

The critical role being played by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) under the leadership of its Executive Vice Chairman, Prof. Umar Danbatta, in advancing the frontiers of broadband development has been recognised at this year’s edition of the Nigeria Tech Innovation and Telecoms Awards (NTITA), 2020.

Regarded as the Oscars of Nigeria’s telecoms industry, the awards, powered by Instinctwave, Africa's leading business-to-business event organizer in collaboration with the Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) in Abuja at the weekend, saw the Commission and other industry stakeholders, including the Hon. Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, carting away distinguished awards.

According to a press statement signed by Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, Director, Public Affairs, Danbatta was honoured with the “Broadband Oxygenator of the Year” for his remarkable role and commitment to the development of broadband infrastructure to support the country’s digital economy drive while NCC, as a corporate organisation received the “Outstanding Contribution to Driving Greater Broadband Penetration Award of the Year.”

Through the articulation of a Strategic Vision Plan (SVP) for the fiscal years 2015-2020, which symbolises the focused leadership Danbatta brought on board as the chief telecoms regulator in the country, broadband penetration increased from 6 percent in 2015 to 45.43 in September, 2020.

Also, basic active internet subscription grew from 90 million to 143.7 million while active voice subscription increased from 151 million to 205.25 percent during the same period with teledensity also reaching 107.53 percent as at end of September, 2020.

The last five years have seen the number of licensed Infrastructure Companies (InfraCo) increasing from two in 2015 to six currently. The InfraCos are to deploy broadband infrastructure, on a wholesale basis in the 774 Local Government Areas in Nigeria. 

The Commission is currently reviewing the framework for the licensing of InfraCo to ensure sustainable funding options for effective implementation of the proposed national fibre project towards increasing broadband penetration to 70 percent target, as set in the new national broadband plan by 2025.

The ongoing review of the InfraCo framework is to cater for the delays in take-off, change in exchange rate, supply chain and other challenges imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic with respect to InfraCo implementation.

NCC and Danbatta’s recognitions at the NTITA 2020 were also hinged on the increase in the contribution of the telecom sector the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from 8.5 percent in 2015 to 14.30 percent as of the second quarter of 2020, translating to N2.272 trillion in financial value.

In the last five years, under Danbatta leadership, telecoms investment grew from around $38 billion to over $70 billion currently with appreciable remittances in spectrum fees and operating surplus by the NCC into the Federal Government Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF).

Increased e-commerce services, other digital services and more access to financial inclusion were also enabled through increased deployment of broadband infrastructure being promoted by the telecoms regulator through a number of regulatory initiatives.

Speaking on the significance of the NTITA, President of ATCON, Olusola Teniola, said: “Our thinking is that if we decide to ignore the contribution that our sector has made to the development of Nigeria by not recognizing the actors that made it possible, what we are saying invariably is that we are unappreciative of their concerted efforts in changing the story of our industry.”

He hoped that the awards would spur the Nigerian government to pay more attention to the sector and that state governments would continue to support the efforts of the industry to transform their various states into digital cities.

#EndSARS: Nwokedi knocks police authorities for not calling defunct squad to order

Success Damian:

High Chief Chika Nwokedi, President of Igboburuotu Social Club of Nigeria, a social cultural organization cum Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) has blamed police authorities whose lack of leadership brought rot in the defunct Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS).

He maintained that those who superintended the affairs of that arm of the force should have called their personnel to order especially when there was public outcry against them.

Chief Nwokedi took the position at the monthly meeting of Igboburuotu at Ijegun, Lagos on Saturday.

Heading a group that has helped the police, and people who do not have helpers, Nwokedi advised the government on what to do to bring sanity to the nation’s security architecture.

Speaking on #EndSARS protest he said “I have said I would not say something about SARS, but I will say it now. I have helped the police a lot, I have given more than 1000 tyres to police, I have given revolving light more than fifty to police, each one is N120,000. I have given security torch more than 2000 in Nigeria, Umuahi, Enugu, Anambra, and Abuja, I have given sockets, more that 500 to police, why because the police helped me when I came to Lagos.

“But now they are talking about EndSARS, let us say the truth for once, end SARS for what? Those SARS they are condemning, they have commanders, they have CP, There are three DCs for each state and they see the way they dressed, they see the way they were behaving, who will you hold? Let us say the truth.

“There was SARS in every state in this Nigeria, and those superior always see their dressing, see how they put earrings, dress like touts, what of the CP of that state, the DC? Every state has three DCs, they were seeing them.

“If I am the Head of State, I will hold their superior not the boys because they know what they are doing. Before my child leaves the house I will know how he dressed. I will know the kind of clothes that he put on, if I don’t like it I will say go and change it, because if he goes out people will say this is his son or daughter and that I cannot keep my daughter or son very well, that is how it is.”

Nwokedi spoke on what should be done to sanitize the force “Thank God that they have ended SARS but believe me, the best criminal is still worse than a bad SARS, for that SARS, they have those that are doing the work very well; they have bad eggs. I cannot because of three eggs are not good and throw away the remaining 27, because every crate of egg is 30, and because 4 or 5 is not good I throw away the entire crate, no. I will choose the 25 or 26 that are good and throw away the bad ones.”

He advised that police authorities should embark on reforms that would bring about freshness to the force. “They know those that are not good because even my brothers SARS have dealt with them seriously. One of my brothers paid N500,000 from POS in Benin, he is here, otherwise they would take him into the bush. But what I am saying is that you cannot throw away the entire personnel, there are good ones,” he advised.

Iri ji: Eze Anyalebechi gathers Ndigbo in Ajeromi, calls for harmonious existence among ethnic groups

Success Damian:

Eze Ndigbo of Ajeromi/Ifelodun Local Government Area, His Royal Highness, Eze Valentine Ezeugo Anyalebechi has called on ethnic nationalities in Nigeria to cultivate the culture of harmonious coexistence.

Eze Anyalebechi made the appeal in his Welcome Address at the Annual New ^Yam Celebration/Forum for a Better Ajeromi/Ifelodun, Lagos, which was held in his palace on Saturday 7^th November, 2020.

Titled For a better Ajeromi/Ifelodun Local Government, he said the LGA accommodates almost every ethnic group in Nigeria and therefore stressed the need for peace. “I titled my Forum For a Better Ajeromi Ifelodun Local Government due to the need for unity and peace in our area, which accommodates almost every ethnic group in Nigeria. It is not disputable that we have been tolerating one another in the past, despite all odds, it is therefore important that we do not relent, so that unity, love and peace amongst us will continue to reign, says Anyalebechi.”

He advised the Igbos especially to remain peaceful and go about their business without fear “I call on Ndigbo to remain peaceful and law-abiding and go about their normal and genuine businesses without fear of intimidation.”

Speaking on the Covid-19 pandemic which brought hardship and pain to many families across the globe, Eze Anyalebechi said “I want to thank God for saving our lives at the heat of Covid-19 pandemic which devastated the whole world. In Nigeria, the case was an eyesore, and one unforgettable experience we had was due to its effect on families, corporate bodies, religious groups, educational institutions, the government service givers and individuals.”

Eze Anyalebechi expressed pain that while the country was about overcoming the tragedy occasioned by Covid-19, the issue of EndSARS resurrected itself. “Unfortunately, as Nigerians were struggling to survive the effects of covid-19, EndSARS protest, another serious issue came up. Hoodlums hid under the protest, which was initially peaceful to kill, loot and destroy properties. During the period, there was insecurity, many died, properties worth billions of Naira were destroyed and businesses were shot down for weeks due to the curfew that was put in place. Both tragic events had negative effects on the nation’s economy, but we are grateful to God for taking care of us during and after the tragic periods.”

He said yam, as a crop like others, is given a special status and regard in Igboland and has been celebrated long time ago.

Chief (Dr) Solomon Ogbonna, President Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos Chapter, on his part, expressed joy that the Igbo culture is promoted in every part of the world. “I have said it time without number, Igbos are not thieves, they are not arsonists, but the allegations we face in Nigeria, is rather bringing the Igbos prosperity and progress, such falsehood end up opening doors for the people. Anywhere the Igbo find themselves, once the land blesses them, they also bless the land. We know how Lagos was. A plot of land is now N680million, it is Ndigbo, Ikoyi is N400m, Admiralty Way N400m, it is Ndigbo, some live in Epe now but when you ask them they say they live in Lekki, it is Ndigbo. What I am telling Ndigbo now is how we can be united, because if you go to police stations in Lagos, if you have 100 cases, 80% is usually Igbo versus Igbo, so we must stop that kind of thing.” He thanked organizers of the Iri ji in Ajeromi/Ifelodun.

High Chief  Vincent Ahui Osu Riurhobo, Lagos State and Chairman South-South Council of Chiefs, Lagos,  said the country needs peace and progress “What we need is progress in this nation, where freedom exists at all levels. We have a lot of things in common with the Igbo people, ‘Up’ is enu in both Igbo and Urhobo. We have lived together in love and it is time to join forces with our brothers to ensure peace in our land. He thanked Eze Ndigbo of Ajeromi/Ifelodun for organizing the new yam festival.

Dr. Princewill Chukwuma Ojiaku, Ugochinyeremba 1 of Orlu, former lecturer and Chairman of the Occasion said he is especially happy because iri ji Ndigbo is not only done in Igboland but also in the Diaspora. He said “Yam is the king of crops in Igboland, we are here to celebrate with our brother as a farmer who has made immense harvest and to tell him that God has blessed him.

“Today is a day of fashion show, young ladies would carry out parade in their best attires, catwalk; masquerades of all shades would come out; people would roll out drums, spectacular shows, boys and girls, that is our own celebration. It is not a minor issue, it is really big.

“In Igboland we fetch firewood and water for the host; that is how it was done in Igboland, not that he will go and buy water or firewood, we support him. But if we don’t have all those things, if we have 1000, we can give him to support what he is doing.” He advised Ndigbo to continue to be hard-working and ensure they are never idle.

Elder Emmanuel Obioma Iwuagwu, Igbo Apex Leader, Ajeromi/Ifelodun LGA, said he was happy because he who works must eat. He said “Among all the Ezes in Ajeromi, Eze Anyalebechi is the only Eze that has found me worthy for a chieftaincy title, even when I told him I don’t want a Chieftaincy. He honoured me for piloting the affairs of the Igbos in the LGA”

He decried the unjustifiable factions observable among the Igbos in Lagos, saying “Some say they are coalition, this one Igbo Vision, Some Igbos in APC, while others call themselves Stakeholders.” He called on all Igbo to be united under one umbrella.