The apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has established a special committee aimed at creating a framework to revive and protect the Igbo language from extinction. This announcement was made by President General Senator John Azuta Mbata during a meeting on Saturday with the 2025 Ahiajoku Lecture planning committee at the organization’s secretariat in Enugu.
Mbata highlighted the critical need to safeguard the Igbo language, especially in light of a recent UNESCO report that classified it as endangered. He stressed the urgency of taking proactive measures to prevent its disappearance.
“We are worried by UNESCO’s revelation that the Igbo language is endangered. Hence, we must act to protect it from disappearing,” he stated.
To promote the language and culture, Ohanaeze is encouraging Igbos to embrace their mother tongue as an integral part of their identity. Mbata also endorsed the upcoming 2025 Ahiajoku Lecture Festival, promising cooperation for its success and confirming his attendance.
He noted that his administration has instituted professorial endowment chairs in Nigerian universities to foster research in Igbo history, tradition, and language. The Ahiajoku Festival serves as a platform for meaningful discussions among the Igbo community on cultural, linguistic, and survival issues.
Earlier, Nze Raymond Emeana, the Director General of Ahiajoku Centre, recounted the festival’s inception in 1979 under the late Governor Sam Mbakwe. He revealed that the 2025 lecture, marking the 25th in the series, will be delivered by Bishop Godfrey Onah, focusing on the theme: “The Future of Igbo Economy Amidst the Challenges of Insecurity, a Call for Paradigm Shift.”
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