A community leader in Kabba town of Kogi Stae,Chief Tolorunleke Obagbayi, said on Thursday that the new yam festival is a festival used to appease the gods of the land to bring prosperity to the people.
Obagbayi spoke in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kabba in the Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State, on Thursday, during the 2017 New Yam festival, which commenced, on Wednesday.
The community leader said the festival was an annual event used to usher in the new yam season.
He said that the festival was only witnessed by male children in the land, while females and visitors should not be seen outside during the festival, which lasts for two days.
“Also, business activities are closed down for the two days of the festival,’’ he said.
Obagbayi said this year’s festival would be accompanied with prayers for the nation and for President Muhammadu Buhari.
He said the festival period was a time whereby all prayers requests were answered speedily by the gods.
Obagbayi noted that the festival would bring good tidings to the nation and that the nation would remain one united and indivisible country.
He, however, sought prayers for the repose of the late Kabba Monarch, Oba Michael Olobayo, the Obaro of Kabba.
The community leader urged the youths to go about the festival lawfully and should not cause any crisis within the community.
He also prayed that the community would not witness the untimely death of its indigenes. (NAN)