Abstract: Background and Objective: There is a growing concern in many parts of Africa on the rate of spread of erstwhile unknown disease and ailments, promoting a change in the dietary pattern. The nutritive value and functional status of most of the food species are unknown. In this study, the nutritional properties and functional potential of some yam species were investigated. Materials and Methods: The proximate analysis was done according to the AOAC, the mineral analysis was done using AAS and the oil was characterized using GC-MS. Results: The Crude protein was highest in Dioscorea alata (19.53±0.84%) and least in Colocasia esculenta (14.80±0.72%) and crude fiber ranged from 4.13±0.55% in Colocasia esculenta, too (1.27±0.15%) in Dioscorea rotunda. It has been reported scientifically the significance of crude fibre in constipation reduction, decrease in bad (LDL) cholesterol. The mineral analysis results in (mg/100 g) ranged from 70.300 mg/100 g (D. rotundata) to 40.260 mg/100 g (D. alata). The characterization of the oil extracts showed the presence of various compounds such as; Linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid needed for various physiological functions, stearic acid, palmitic acid and ascorbic acid-2,6-dihexadecanoate, it has been established that ascorbic acid supplementation increases the mRNA levels of PPARα and its target enzymes involved in fatty acid β-oxidation in visceral adipose tissues. Conclusion: The research work has shown that the plants could be classified as functional foods as a result of their richness nutritionally in the range of Dioscorea alata, Colocasia esculenta, Dioscorea rotunda and D. alata.