Pastors Caution Against Unbiblical Practice As Umuoji Community Holds Uzoiyi Festival

Pastors caution against unbiblical practice as Umuoji community holds Uzoiyi festival

By Toby Chuks

As the good people of Umuoji community in Idemili North local government area of Anambra state look forward to holding the annual Uzoiyi festival this weekend some indegenous clerics from the community have waged prayer against practices which described as "unbiblical" which might impact negatively on Christian faithful in the community. 

The Uzoiyi festival in Umuoji is a premier annual cultural event that celebrates Igbo heritage, specifically honoring the Idemili River goddess to ensure a bountiful harvest and rainfall for the farming season. 

The festival serves as a vibrant, unifying event featuring elaborate masquerade performances, traditional music, and dance from the town’s 23 villages to showcase artistic ingenuity. 

The festival is deeply tied to the farming calendar, offering sacrifices to the Idemili deity to bless the community with rain and prosperity.

It is renowned for featuring diverse, artistic masquerades (often representing animals, mythical creatures, and human motifs) from all 23 villages of Umuoji. Notable masquerades include Enyi Abidi, Ijele, and Ocha.

But the indegenous pastors see the festival as opportunity for some people to patronise negative spirits that are not in tune with Christianity in the name of culture warning that some fetish  practice cannot be acceptable to Christianity in the name culture.

The pastors argued that pure cultural heritage include the people's way of dressing, what they eat and how they think - not ceremonies laced in idolatry.

The pastors in a warfare prayer held at the Glorious Divine Grace Assembly, Ireh village, Umuoji, convened by Chief Apostle Fidel Chimezie, President of Nigerian Ministers Project, with the Senior Pastor of Glorious Divine Grace Assembly, Apostle Tony Phillips, ministering focussed on breaking strongholds of evil spirits, idolatry and marine spirits in the lives and destinies of Umuoji people.

Ministering during the prayer service, Apostle Tony Phillips said, "This prayer is very significant because, many people in this land have been captured by the negative influence of Uzoiyi festival in the name of culture. Many people are not yet aware of this negative influence on Umuoji people. Many think it's just musics, masquerades and fun; but spiritually, it goes beyond ordinary festivity and display of culture.

Apostle Tony said that many leave Christianity today to go into what they call their tradition and cultural heritage. He argued, however that activities such as those associated with Uzoiyi festival, is not pure Igbo tradition but have air of idolatry.

Meanwhile, in an exclusive interview  after the prayer service, the Convener of the warfare prayer meeting, Chief Apostle Fidel Chimezie, said that Uzoiyi festival may seem like a cultural event when viewed from the perspective of masquerades and flamboyant displays, but it is not because they do a lot of things that are not Biblical

She added "God has told me this is the time they'll be dedicating all the alters and all the diabolical things in our land, and that we should stand in gap and pray against them. 

"What we've done today is a ransom for the soul of our people. When matters are very hard and strong, arm yourself with blood sacrifice, just as we've done today using a full ram. If you're going through a stubborn thing that refuses to stop, do a ransom sacrifice - you'll see it disappear. 

"When God called me, He commissioned me to spoil anything  they use blood to do against His people. Today, the blood of full ram represents the blood of Jesus Christ, which God command us to sacrifice in order to stop every blood sacrifice done against Umuoji people in the name of Uzoiyi festival."