GOVERNOR DIRI ADVOCATES PROTECTION OF IJAW CULTURE AT YAM FESTIVAL
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By: Balogun Ibrahim
Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, has called on residents to intensify efforts to preserve and revitalise their cultural heritage to prevent it from going into extinction.
Diri, who was represented by his deputy, Pastor Peter Pereotubo Akpe, made the appeal on Saturday during the grand finale of the Ekpetiama Okolede New Yam Festival held in Gbarantoru, Yenagoa Local Government Area of the state.
He expressed concern over the gradual decline of the Ijaw language and traditional farming practices, which he said are key components of the Izon cultural identity, attributing the trend to the growing influence of foreign lifestyles.
The governor noted that his administration has introduced measures such as the training of Ijaw language teachers and the compulsory teaching of the language in public primary schools as part of efforts to safeguard the Izon language and culture from extinction.
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Diri commended the Ekpetiama people for sustaining the longstanding yam festival and encouraged them to further promote agriculture to support the government’s food security agenda in the state.
He also urged communities experiencing chieftaincy disputes, including Agudama-Ekpetiama, Tombia, and Akaibiri, to embrace peace and unity for the overall development of their areas.
According to him, “Our people are unique and wonderful. Our culture is also unique. Even our dance and several aspects of our lives are unique. But unfortunately, many aspects of our culture are going into extinction.
“Most of us cannot even speak our Ijaw language very well. Some of us see this as a great challenge. That is why, as members of the State House of Assembly some years back, we made efforts to enact a law to ensure that the Ijaw language is taught in all our public primary schools.
“But the effort of the government will be wasted if we don’t start from our homes and villages. If a language is not spoken, you will forget it. So let us all make deliberate efforts to keep our language alive because language is powerful.”
He further appreciated the Ekpetiama kingdom for sustaining the Okolede Festival, describing it as a celebration of farming, harvest, and cultural identity.
Diri also urged the people to remain united and resolve internal disputes in the interest of peace and progress.
The Speaker of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Abraham Ingobere, who chaired the occasion, described the festival as a symbol of identity and called for the preservation of cultural heritage for stability and development.
Other speakers, including Hon. Oforji Oboku and the Pere of Kabowei Kingdom, His Royal Majesty King Shadrach Erebulu, praised the Ekpetiama people for maintaining the festival as a unifying cultural event.
The Ibenanaowei of Ekpetiama Kingdom, His Royal Majesty King Bubaraye Dakolo, also highlighted the festival’s importance in enabling the community to thank God for bountiful harvests annually.
He also commended Governor Diri for infrastructural development and political appointments extended to sons and daughters of Ekpetiama, while appealing for the construction of a community auditorium in Gbarantoru.
A highlight of the event was the ceremonial breaking and eating of new yams by the monarch after they were presented by women of the kingdom, led by his wife, Her Royal Majesty Queen Timinipre Dakolo.
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