History was made in the Obeledu community, Aniaocha Local Government Area of Anambra State, when Kenneth Ifeakandu, from Okofia village, won N500,000 for harvesting the heaviest yam during the community’s New Yam festival.
The yam weighed an impressive 95kg. The “Yam Competition” was a special part of Obeledu’s 2024 New Yam festival, which concluded over the weekend.
The competition aims to revive and encourage agriculture, especially among the youth, to achieve food sufficiency.
Kenneth Ifeakandu, the winner, expressed his excitement and plans for the prize money. He said, “The prize money is a morale booster for me to invest more into agriculture. I will expand my scope and return here next year by the grace of God with super huge harvests to show my gratitude to God.”
The President General of Obeledu Progress Union, Ken Echendu, explained that the “agricultural show” was included in the community’s festival to encourage farming. “People have this impression that Anaocha has white land which is not fertile enough to support agriculture, but we are changing that erroneous narrative,” he said. “We are doing this initiative to key into the agricultural revolution of the state governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, who has been encouraging people to go into farming. In Obeledu, we are encouraging our youths to go into agriculture.”
Echendu thanked the executive council members for their efforts in making the festival a success and appealed to the Obeledu people for continued support, promising better days ahead.
During the event, the traditional ruler of Obeledu, His Royal Highness Igwe AC Oragwam (Ezeoranyelu III), performed the traditional yam cutting to kick off the celebration.
He thanked God for granting his community a bountiful harvest and urged residents to embrace peace, which he described as the foundation for growth and development. He proudly recalled that the yam competition, now recognized internationally, started in Obeledu.
Ikechukwu Okafor, the Secretary of the Obeledu Media Department and Media Aide to former Minister of Aviation Chief Osita Chidoka, praised the harmonious relationship within the community.
“People are happy, farms and other endeavors of the people are doing well, an indication that God is with us,” Okafor said.
He noted that the 2024 festival was unique due to the high level of participation and added, “To ensure that the tempo is sustained, fertilizers were distributed to farmers at the occasion in anticipation of bumper harvest next year and beyond.”
Okafor also applauded the Obeledu monarch for distributing yams and cash to the less privileged in the town’s eight villages as part of the celebrations, expressing optimism that the current Executive Council would continue to lead the community to prosperity.
He appealed for ongoing support for the traditional ruler and the leadership of the Town Union.
The Anambra State Commissioner for Local Government Affairs and Chieftaincy Matters, Mr. Collins Nwabuwanne, who attended the event, congratulated the community on a successful festival.
He noted that he attends new yam festivals across the state to observe how communities are aligning with the state’s agricultural revolution.
“The Obeledu community has done so very well and will be supported by the government to do more in agriculture,” Nwabuwanne added.
