South-East: Ohanaeze Reveals The Food Habit It Wants Igbo People To Abandon

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The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has expressed concern over what it described as unhealthy eating habits among the people.

The group attributed a significant number of illnesses affecting residents of the South-East to the trend.

The Dunukofia Local Government Area chapter of Ohanaeze Ndigbo made the remarks on Friday during an empowerment programme for women involved in the sale of local food condiments associated with Igbo culture.

The chairman of the chapter, Chief Uchenna Nwoye, led members of the organisation during the exercise.

Nwoye said locally prepared foods made with traditional condiments are not only cheaper but also tastier and healthier, promoting better living compared with the junk and fast foods increasingly consumed today.

The organisation empowered 60 women, with 10 beneficiaries selected from each of the six communities in the local government area, giving each woman N20,000.

The group said the initiative was not measured by the amount distributed but by its objective of helping local condiment sellers sustain their businesses and preserving traditional Igbo food from extinction.

Speaking during the empowerment exercise, the Chairman of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Dunukofia Chapter, Chief Uchenna Nwoye, said, “This is a Women Support Programme, to provide financial assistance of N20,000 each to 10 women in each of the six towns of Dunukofia, making a total of 60 beneficiaries.

“The initiative is designed to support, encourage, and empower women who are involved in the production and sale of traditional Igbo food condiments and native delicacies. It is part of the chapter’s broader commitment to promoting and preserving Igbo culture, values, traditions, and indigenous food heritage.

“We therefore encourage our people to embrace, patronise, and preserve the quality traditional foods and condiments handed down to us by our forefathers. By supporting those who produce and sell these indigenous foods, we are not only empowering our people economically but also helping to preserve our rich cultural heritage for future generations.

“Our local foods are healthier, tastier and even cheaper. Most of the illnesses people experience today come from eating unhealthy junks, which they sometimes think is modern, without knowing that it destroys organs and make immunity weaker.

“Together, let us promote our Igbo language, culture, traditions, and indigenous food heritage. It is part of our identity and will help us a lot.”

The beneficiaries, mostly rural women operating in various markets across the communities, expressed appreciation to Ohanaeze Neighbor for the support.

They also welcomed the organisation’s appeal for greater consumption of traditional Igbo condiments, saying increased patronage would help boost their businesses.

Most of the beneficiaries are traders and producers of traditional condiments, including okpeyi, ogiri, ukpaka, locally dried pepper and other related products.

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