You may have noticed I did not say “benefits of yam” because yam does not just benefit us, it blesses us. But before cassava, rice, and plantain start throwing bombastic side-eyes like jealous exes at a wedding, let me just say this, this is yam’s moment. Everyone else, please take your seats. Then we can dive into this glorious and starch-filled saga.

Yam’s Passport: Nigerian, No Visa Needed
While “Aunty Rice” came all the way from China in her mandarin gown, plantain flew in from Southeast Asia like a tropical influencer, and cassava snuck in from South America wearing flip-flops, yam did not need to travel. Yam is homegrown, indigenous, and unbothered – no visa needed. Nigeria is not just yam’s birth place, it is its kingdom. And guess what? Nigeria is the world’s largest producer of yam. Nigeria produces over 60% of the world’s yams. That is flexing not farming. We are not playing at all.

In Arochukwu, yam is basically royalty, a celebrity that gets its own crop version of a Grammy winner. It is the only crop that gets a full-blown festival with thanksgiving, dancing, and probably one uncle who insists on wearing traditional regalia even in 35°C heat and another uncle who insists on pounding yam shirtless like it is a spiritual ritual. September is yam’s birthday month – “Yamtember” if you prefer, and we celebrate it like it is a new album dropped by Mary Kanu.

Yam: Fertility Guru or Just a Flirt?
Now, let us talk about the juicy myth that yam helps women hyper ovulate. Apparently, yam contains phytoestrogen, a natural hormone that might just convince a woman’s ovaries to throw a party and release more than one egg. What it means is that yam could be the ticket of one Arochukwu family to welcoming fraternal twins to the compound. You can take a chance on yam with its fertility flex and move over from IVF. So, if you are planning to test this theory, start eating Arochukwu yams now and let us reconvene in September 2026. If you show up with twins, we will know yam was not playing and a true advocate of “Uma Nwa”.

Yam’s Resume: Versatile, Delicious, Never Unemployed
Yam is the most hardworking food crop in the game. It shows up in every form like it is auditioning for a Nollywood role:

• When it is boiled white, it can be eaten with egg and vegetable sauce, Ugba, or just palm oil, yam does not judge your budget.
• When boiled white and transformed into pounded, it becomes the kings of swallows, it can be served with Ofe Achara or any soup that of choice. Yam does not make ‘shakara’ at all.
• It can be fried to become crispy, golden, and ready to mingle with oye beke ketchup.
• When it comes to the use of firewood, it can be roasted into smoky, rustic, and perfect for snacking in front of Avonta lodge while gisting with about the preparation for Ikeji festival.
• It can be turned into yam pottage a comfort food that hugs your soul and whispers, “You are doing great, nwa m ụtọ.”

Yam is the friend who adapts to your mood, your cravings, and your fridge situation; it surely sticks closer than a brother as mentioned in the Bible. It is the food equivalent of a true supportive bestie.

By now, cassava, rice, and plantain have stopped side-eyeing and are probably clapping respectfully and googling how they can be like yam. They can now see that yam is not just food, it is culture, it is history, it is officially “Nna Anyi” in their midst.

So, with a rousing ovation, please let us raise our washed hands, spoons, forks, mortar and pestles to yam, the tuber that teaches us patience, flavor, and how to pound with purpose.

Happy Ikeji Festival 2025!
Long Live Yam!
Long Live Nigeria!
Long Live Abia State!
Long Live Arochukwu Kingdom!

Reference: Wikifarmer Library, Brittinica, City People Magazine, Parents wonder,
Healthline.