IWA JI IBEKU CULTURAL CARNIVAL 2022 - CHIEDOZIE MARTINS NWOSU

 IBEKU YOUTH ASSOCIATION AND ITS JOURNEY ON AGRICULTURAL REVOLUTION AND IWAJI IBEKU CARNIVAL COLOURATION 2022 ~ BY CHIEDOZIE MARTINS OBIOHA NWOSU

HON  CHIEDOZIE MARTINS NWOSU (IYA PRESIDENT)

It is with great sense of humour that I write to tell the world how it all began. When the current leadership of Ibeku Youth Association ably led by Hon. Martins Chiedozie Nwosu, Sampson Charles Enyinnaya, Chibuzo James Onwukamuche, Rev. Ben Nwogu, Godwin Onwuchekwa, Chinecherem Nwosu, Bright Orioha, Enyinnaya Nwokocha, Jessica Nwoko and Cyril Eleweanya came on board, we took Agriculture especially yam farming as a pet project. Today, it is the talk of the city and State at large.

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Notwithstanding we had other pivotal projects that are well achievable even as targeted plans and projections has been made on them as it unfolds by piecemeal.

My special thanks goes to every member of IYA Agric committee for their cooperations, teamwork, tolerance and sacrifices. The compendium of all members of IYA Agricultural Committee will be published soon. It was not on the program due to the printer's error.

From the day 1 of their  inauguration, they built their minds on the common saying "To whom much is given much is expected". This was very obvious considering the fact that the news of Ibeku Youth Agricultural project has gone across the globe with rains of commendations. 

It is also on record that many youth Organizations have taken from us on such a corporate project, Ibeku youth leads and others follows. 

Ibeku Youth Association is committed to investing millions in agriculture in the next ten years, to help drive the transformation of Ibeku Ancient Kingdom in terms of Agriculture.

Sincerely, as we work for Ibeku Ancient Kingdom, our heart beat are deeply at home.

There's no day that passes without Ibeku not being on our mind.

We did so much for the farm to expand food production. And more should be done, until we fully turn Ibeku into a global power house in food and agriculture. And that is the goal.

The focus now should be on agriculture as a business. And all hands must be on deck to get this done. This is because Agriculture is good and now a lucrative business in the whole universe. Remember the popular Igbo Proverb: Aka ajaja ne nweta aka onu manu!

For every of our activities on the farm, we had a farm diary of documentation of our journey. First, we acquired on lease about 25 plots of farm land situated at Ajata, Iyienyi and Okwuta by Ahiaeke road, all in Ibeku land. It was a commercial mix cropping exercise comprising; Yam, cassava, three leave yam (una), maize, okro and vegetables. I must confess to us that we have been witnessing bumper harvest in all these crops.

Today, wake bold to say Ibeku Youths is good at that which they do. The evidence of our tubers of Yam harvested from IYA farm on the day of Iwaji Ibeku 2022 precisely, 25th August is a testimony to that fact.

Permit me to soft pedal at this point to appreciate all who in one way or the other contributed to the success of the IYA Agric Project. To my Ibeku Youth members, you all are the best.

It is important to state that agricultural development is one of most powerful tools to end extreme poverty, boost shared prosperity and feed a projected number of people speaking from experience as seen in this year's farming season. Growth in the agricultural sector is more effective among the common masses compared to other sectors.

There is no doubt that today, Agriculture is the bane of Nigeria economic development.

Let it be on record, for the audience of our esteemed friends and well wishers to know that *NEW YAM CELEBRATION FROM ANTIQUITY TO 2022* is *"OUR HERITAGE",* and we celebrate it every year.

Ibeku Ancient Kingdom is blessed with many cultural heritages which showcases our different cultural values as a people and some of them inculcate ethics and morals into the people while others are educative and informative. It is important to point out here that, in the midst of these many cultural heritages; some are celebrated with enthusiasm while some are not, but they all point towards one goal. Some of these cultural heritage(s) not only add values and glamour but also attract the presence of the foreigners to Ibeku Ancient Kingdom. The essence of this is to highlight the importance or significance of "Ibeku New yam festival with the view of presenting the mode and manner to which the festival is carried out and how significant the celebration is to Ibeku people". The cultural alienation of Ibeku towards this auspicious celebration is of outmost importance. This is a celebration of farm season, and an important way of making the beginning and end of the farming season. It is a celebration of life, accomplishment, culture and wellbeing in Ibeku Ancient Kingdom. 

Ibeku is renowned for it's Agricultural produce, Craftsmanship, Arts and Culture. One of its popular farm produce is "YAM", and is regarded as a miraculous plant that signifies fertility and hugely celebrated yearly at the harvest of new yarms from the farms, in an elaborate ceremony popularly known as the New Yam Festival. 

Putting things in it's proper perspective, it is pertinent to note that farmers are recognized and encouraged worldwide to keep up the good work. And we (Ibeku Youth Association Farmers) are not left out. 

We equally use this platform to appeal to Abia State and Federal Government's recognition, encouragement and support through CBN Agricultural Soft Loan to enable us properly venture into mechanized farm produce to at least propel our capacity to feed all the local markets in Umuahia, Abia State.

Governments should provide incentives to food and Agrobusiness companies to locate in rural areas. Staple crop processing zones - vast agro-industrial zones, enabled with infrastructure - should be developed, to support food industry to establish in rural areas. This will reduce cost of doing business, create huge markets pull for farmers and reduce post harvest losses.

These staple crop processing zones will transform Ibeku Ancient Kingdom into new zones of economic prosperity.

We should also know that today, our planet faces the challenge of using fewer natural resources while feeding a growing population — predicted to reach almost 10 billion by 2050. The day-to-day realities of farming, agricultural production, and food consumption call for new kinds of innovation. Innovations that can transform today’s challenges into tomorrow’s breakthroughs.

Our believe as Agricultural leaders of today, young people should be at the forefront of these efforts. The activities of Ibeku Youth Association Farmers projects are aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which were adopted by the United Nations in 2015 with the hope of ending poverty, protecting the planet, and ensuring prosperity for all. The SDGs aim to achieve Zero Hunger and end all forms of malnutrition by 2030. 

Generally, Agriculture in Ibeku Ancient Kingdom must move away from being treated as a social sector for managing poverty, to a business for creating wealth.

Development of agricultural value chains will create market opportunities for hundreds of thousands of farmers thereby creating job opportunities for the youths.

For example, Africa imports $35 billion of food annually, expected to rise to $110 billion by 2025, if the current trend continues. As it does so, Africa decimates its rural areas, exports jobs and erodes incomes of its farmers.

Imagine what $35 billion will do if Africa could feed itself: It is enough to provide 100% of the electricity in Africa. And $110 billion savings in food imports is enough to close the whole of the infrastructure deficit in Africa. So we must think differently this time.

For instance, Africa produces 75% of the world's cocoa, but receives only 3% of the $100 billion a year revenue in the global market for chocolate. Africa exports raw materials. The price of cocoa may decline, but never the price of chocolates. The price of cotton may fall, but never the price of clothes and garments. While coffee farmers face declining prices, coffee grinders smile all the way to the markets.

In order to transform our rural economies, Ibeku Youth Association Farmers has brazen up to embark on Agricultural Industrialization and add value to all its agricultural commodities.

Ibeku Youth Association believes strongly in our potential. What we've to do is unlock that potential.

We implore the State Governor and Minister of Agriculture Federal Republic of Nigeria to show strong support and committment to the youngers in Ibeku.

The goal is to support 3,500 young graduates and none graduates in primary food production, agribusiness, processing and marketing.

The youth in agriculture program in Nigeria is now being promoted, and Ibeku Youth should be included in the list.

So, the operation Feed Umuahia Capital local market is an excellent platform to discuss the way forward towards supporting a robust agriculture as a business.

We applaud Nigeria's efforts on the CBN Agricultural Loan program to reduce malnutrition through the Rice pyramid. We have millions of people in Nigeria suffering from risks of severe malnutrition due to draughts. Some State is rapidly shrinking. That's why we applaud and fully support Federal Government CBN Agricultural Loan and efforts to rehabilitate agrobusiness in Nigeria.

Climate change is affecting Nigeria, and other parts of the world. When we look at Nigeria today, all we eat, the clothes we wear, the vehicles and other accessories we use today comes from China. To help tackle this, the State and Federal Government must go to its drawing board to re-consider and approve our request to support Ibeku Youth Association Welfare Initiative Farm projects to help address the current shortage in food production and avoid famine. A short and long term medium  measures for building resilience should be considered. With the above points, we plead once again with the State and Federal Government of Nigeria not to leave Ibeku Youth Association Welfare Initiative behind during their program of disbursement of youth support fund in Agriculture.

Nigeria will succeed if they unleash hope for its rural areas, and accelerates agricultural development. Nigeria will feed itself if it fully unlocks its agricultural potential, Nigeria posess the internal capacity to feed Africa. This is our believe.

Thank you and God bless you all.

Long live Ibeku Ancient Kingdom!

Long live Abia State Government!!

Long live Federal Republic of Nigeria!!!

*Martins Chiedozie Obioha Nwosu*

PG Ibeku Youth Association