A Non Governmental Organization, NGO, known for her charitable work, Igbos Love Themselves Charity Foundation, world wide, Sunday, celebrated newyam festival with the poor at Amafor town hall, Nkpor, Idemili North Local Government Area, Anambra State.
Speaking during the festival, the founder/leader of the NGO, Ezeaku Ejiofor, said, “The newyam festival is all about tradition, knowing our root, where we came from, going back to our root.
“So, it is necessary to present this to get our people know we acknowledge the essence of tradition. We gather here every Sunday, 8am to 12 pm to teach people our culture and how to help ourselves. I want to let our people know that native doctors are those that treat people with herbs. Anyone performing charm doesn’t represent native doctors.
“I don’t advise youths to go into charms but to go into science and technology. That is what I have established for the youths so that after school they can go and learn computer training, and be creative because our forefathers didn’t introduce fetish items as sources of prosperity and herbs,” he affirmed.
Speaking, the Medical director of the NGO, Dr Godwin Akachukwu, who is the MD Akachukwu Hospital and Maternity, described New yam celebration as an Igbo culture and tradition.
“It is the way of people’s life but the truth is that we have gone astray and this is destroying us because of the life people live, leaving our forefathers’ style of living. It is better for our politicians to be sworn-in in a shrine, things will be better,” he stated.
On the founder of NGO, Ezeaku, he said, “I know Ezeaku since 2018, after explaining his plans to me, I told him that this is the reason I became a medical doctor, I want to use this Newyam as a medical profession to be helping people. I promised him that we will be working together that everything is not money. This is how we have been doing it since then, the one I can do I do it, the one I cannot do, I direct people where to do it,” he stated.
“I came to know Ezeaku in 2018, he came to offset hospital bills in my hospital and I asked him young man who are you, he told me that he is the CEO, Igbos love Themselves Charity Foundation. I said I have to queue into it, as a doctor, I discovered that there is really poverty in the land.
” I decided that in my own capacity that I will be helping the poor as well, that was actually what brought us together in the hospital. You found out that most Nigerians don’t have money to purchase paracetamol, I am calling the well to do Nigerians to help the poor,” he pleaded.
On how he joined in the newyam festival believed to be fetish he stated that, “It is all about our tradition, knowing where I came from, knowing my root, as someone who has been uniting our people together especially telling people the need to go back to our root,.
“Someone who has been advocating to bring our culture back to our land, it is necessary to present this festival of lwa ji to this congregation. it is important to let people know and acknowledge our culture and tradition,” he further explained.
