By Ebuka Onyekwelu, Ph.D
Statesman and former Minister of Health, Dr. Tim Menakaya (Ide Umunnya), has celebrated the New Yam Festival (Iwa Ji) with family, friends, associates and community leaders at his Chukwudumebi home in Umunnya, Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra State.
The colourful celebration, held on Saturday, was organised by Dr. Menakaya and his wife, Mrs. Ogo Tim-Menakaya, Esq., and attracted prominent personalities from different walks of life who gathered to celebrate the cultural heritage of Ndigbo and the blessings of a new harvest.
The celebration came shortly after Dr. Menakaya marked his 92nd birthday, adding another layer of thanksgiving to the occasion.
Dr. Menakaya, who served as Nigeria’s Minister of Health under former President Olusegun Obasanjo, is a founding member of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), an accomplished industrialist and a strong advocate of the aku luo uno philosophy.
A community leader and philanthropist, he has made significant contributions to medical care, industry, finance and politics. He founded Menax Hospital in Onitsha, which became a notable healthcare provider in Anambra State, as well as Tempo Mills.
In his opening prayer, Ven. Emegwa of Uga, Aguata Local Government Area, thanked God for the life of Dr. Menakaya and his wife, Ogo, while praying for continued blessings upon their family.
He also recounted his personal experience of Dr. Menakaya’s philanthropy, revealing that although he was not related to the former minister, he benefited from a scholarship awarded by him in 1981, which enabled him to pursue his education.
The story, he said, remained a testament to Dr. Menakaya’s longstanding commitment to empowering people and contributing to the development of society.
The New Yam Festival attracted an array of prominent professionals, political leaders, community stakeholders and associates, who came to felicitate with Dr. Menakaya and his wife.
Among those who attended were former Chief Judge of Anambra State, Hon. Justice Paul Obidigwe; industrialist, Dr. Chike Obidigbo; Speaker of the Anambra State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Somto Udeze; Chief Uzu Okagbue; former Chief of Protocol to former Anambra State Governor, Chief Willie Nwokoye; former Principal Secretary to the former governor, Hon. Beverly Ikpeazu-Nkemdiche; former three-term member of the Anambra State House of Assembly and former Commissioner for Special Duties.
Also present were the President-General of the Dennis Memorial Grammar School Old Boys Association, Dr. Sunny Nwachukwu; Venerable Anikwenwa; Pastor Ejike Nwachukwu, Esq.; and leaders of the Umunnya Development Union led by its President, Chief Sir Chinedu Ekwugha.
The union’s delegation also included the Secretary-General, Mr. Chidi Okafor; Financial Secretary, Mr. Sunday Mbanugo; and Public Relations Officer, Mr. Peter Onuigbo, among other guests.
In his thanksgiving prayer, Dr. Menakaya expressed gratitude to God for the gift of life, the abundant harvest and the opportunity to celebrate the New Yam Festival with loved ones.
He prayed for God’s continued protection and blessings upon all those present, as well as abundant harvest and prosperity in the years ahead.
The guests were thereafter treated to an array of sumptuous traditional delicacies.
The New Yam Festival, one of the most significant cultural celebrations among Ndigbo, marks the harvest of the year’s new yam and serves as a period of thanksgiving for productivity, prosperity and the blessings of the land.
For Ndigbo, Iwa Ji also symbolises the closing of one agricultural cycle and the beginning of another, with prayers and hopes for greater harvests and prosperity in the coming year.
Tags: Tim Menakaya, New Yam Festival, Umunnya, Anambra State, Iwa Ji
