Tag: Ohanaeze

The Igbo apex socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, has announced far-reaching plans aimed at strengthening Igbo cultural preservation, institutional sustainability and economic self-reliance, including the establishment of professorial chairs in Igbo studies and new development vehicles.

The President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Senator John Azuta-Mbata, disclosed this during the organisation’s Imeobi meeting held at the International Conference Centre, Enugu, where he presented a one-year stewardship account.

Azuta-Mbata said plans were underway to establish professorial chairs dedicated to Igbo language, history and culture, backed by N35 million take-off grants. 

He further revealed that seven professorial chairs—one each in universities across the seven Ohanaeze states—had already been endowed, with applications from qualified professors currently under review.

“This is not just an academic intervention, but a strategic investment in cultural preservation, intellectual renaissance and the safeguarding of our identity for future generations through rigorous research and scholarship,” he said. “We are ensuring that the Igbo narrative is documented, defended and dignified.”

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To ensure sustainable funding and efficient administration of the organisation, the President-General announced the establishment of Alaigbo Development Company and the Ndigbo Development Foundation, noting that both bodies would receive a N50 million take-off grant before the end of 2025.

Reviewing achievements recorded within his first year in office, Azuta-Mbata said construction work on the new Ohanaeze national headquarters in Enugu was nearing completion. 

He described the edifice as a monumental step towards providing the organisation with a befitting administrative nerve centre and a lasting institutional legacy.

“It is our plan to incorporate a museum of Igbo music, Igbo art and culture within the premises, making it a centre where Igbo artefacts and cultural items can be found,” he added.

On the broader significance of the Imeobi meeting, the Ohanaeze leader said it symbolised renewal, continuity and the collective resolve of the Igbo people to remain relevant, impactful and generationally significant. 

He also presented a reviewed Ohanaeze constitution to the Imeobi for consideration.

Speaking at the meeting, renowned political economist, Pat Utomi, urged Igbos to clearly define their place within the Nigerian project, stressing the need for a level playing field for all citizens. 

He called for strict adherence to the rule of law and the protection of property rights as prerequisites for wealth creation and preservation.

“If you don’t have a society that preserves the rights of people to own property, you will always be vulnerable,” Utomi said, adding that Nigeria needed principle-driven political leadership to achieve meaningful progress.

Former Minister of Power, Chinedu Nebo, emphasised the need for Igbo unity and collective action in addressing shared challenges, urging the people to speak with one voice in pursuing their legitimate interests.

Also contributing, Professor of Political Economy at Nasarawa State University, Jideofor Adibe, identified what he described as “Igbo phobia”—a long-standing sense of exclusion dating back to colonial times—as a core challenge confronting the Igbo. 

He proposed a new charter for Ohanaeze Ndigbo, stressing that Igbo identity must be a driving force in self-preservation and development.

Adibe further called on Igbo musicians, artists and filmmakers to intensify efforts to project Igbo culture on global platforms such as Netflix, warning that cultural regression would persist if deliberate steps were not taken. 

He also urged the Igbo to build alliances with other regions and redirect youth grievances through the development of strong, inclusive economies.

The meeting attracted several prominent Igbo leaders and dignitaries, including former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation Anyim Pius Anyim, and the Obi of Onitsha, Alfred Achebe, among others.

• Group seeks pardon for Nnamdi Kanu

The Abia State chapter of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has endorsed the state government’s decision to make the teaching and learning of the Igbo language compulsory in schools across the state.

The endorsement was given during an expanded meeting of the state executive council of Ohanaeze Ndigbo with chairmen of the union from the 17 local government areas of Abia State.

Ohanaeze said the policy aligns with its core objectives, particularly the preservation and promotion of the Igbo language and culture.

The group also urged parents to complement the government’s efforts by speaking Igbo to their children at home to prevent the language from becoming extinct.

“As a body committed to promoting the Igbo language, we do not want our language to become extinct. We want our people to understand, speak, and learn Igbo.

“Our culture is paramount, because people are identified by their culture. Abandoning our culture means abandoning our heritage, and that is not what we want,” the union said.

The group noted that Governor Alex Otti’s decision to make Igbo language instruction compulsory in nursery and primary schools reflects one of the cardinal visions of Ohanaeze Ndigbo.

Lamenting what it described as a growing preference among some Igbo parents for their children to speak only English, Ohanaeze urged parents to encourage their children to communicate in their mother tongue.

“A people without culture risk extinction. We want to promote our culture and be proud of it. These are the ideals Ohanaeze Ndigbo stands for, and these are the paths we want to promote in Abia State,” the union added.

Abia State President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Dr. Chukwuemeka Okwuonu, also appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to exercise his prerogative of mercy by granting a presidential pardon to the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.

He told reporters: “The issue of Nnamdi Kanu is very dear to Ohanaeze. I recall our meeting in Awka during Igbo Day, where the National President clearly stated that the case of Nnamdi Kanu should be resolved through political negotiation. That was before his conviction.

“Although he has now been convicted, Ohanaeze Ndigbo is still pressing for him to be granted a pardon. As the Abia State chapter, we are appealing to our dear President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to graciously grant Nnamdi Kanu a presidential pardon.”

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He added that Otti had previously visited Kanu at the correctional facility and had assured that efforts were ongoing to explore political and legal options for his release.

Dr. Okwuonu also expressed concern over the low participation of Igbos, including Abians, in the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise being conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

“Recent statistics show that Igbos, including Abians, are not fully participating in the voter registration exercise. This is a civic responsibility.

“When we seek anything in Nigeria, there is a process, and voter registration is one of those processes. Unfortunately, the Southeast is not doing well in this regard,” he said.

The Abia State chapter of Ohanaeze Ndigbo reaffirmed its loyalty and support for the leadership of the National President, Senator Azuka Mbata, and commended Governor Otti for what it described as the “giant strides” recorded by his administration in the last two years.

According to the union, improvements in infrastructure, security, and governance have made the state increasingly attractive to investors and residents.

It said: “We can see that the governor is making giant strides. Movement within Umuahia and other parts of the state has become easier due to improved road networks and the conducive environment created by the administration.

“Ohanaeze wants to state clearly that Abia State is very safe. Any narrative suggesting otherwise should be disregarded. Abians are happy and secure in their state.”

The group urged Nigerians and investors to consider Abia State as a destination for business and residence, describing it as one of the safest states in the federation.

President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, socio-cultural organisation representing the Igbo, John Azuta-Mbata, will, on September 14 confer the title of Nnandigbo Worldwide (father of Igbo in diaspora) on entrepreneur, Livinus Okwara.

President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in Lagos, Solomon Aguene, the host, said the investiture holds at Union Bank Sports Centre, Surulere, Lagos, with a church service at 8 am while the coronation starts by 10a.m.

Aguene said President Bola Tinubu is special guest at the coronation, with other dignitaries and Igbo representatives from Nigeria and the world.

He said Okwara’s ideas and love for growth of the Igbo man motivated the title, noting that through his company, Rimax Group, he has created employment for youths. “Every of his ideas are for the growth and success of the Igbo, home and abroad.

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“So, he will attach this title to his legacies and achievements. The Igbo are proud of him as a successful business man, who impacted lives through philanthropy. His profile is rich; he is vast in Igbo and Nigerian history. So, let us appreciate and celebrate him in life,” he said.

Responding, Okwara, former Nnandigbo, Lagos, and an APC chieftain, said he accepted the position because he is proud to be an Igbo man. “So, it’s my responsibility to ensure that I must always have that identity and be proud of it.”

He noted that the title is first and that the position comes with the belief that the Igbo man must progress improve even as a traveller. And that’s an identity that the Igbo man carries everywhere.

“They say, anywhere you go and you do not find an Igbo man, run from that area. So, that is the identity an Igbo man must protect,” Okwara said.

On how he intends to leverage his experience, wealth and influence to support and empower the Igbo in Nigeria and diaspora, Okwara promised to create employment, give financial support and advice when needed.

He also said he will create liaison offices abroad where any Igbo man can always go and get answers to questions and succour when in need.

Okwara, who is the founder of Rimax Institute of Technology, Lagos, advised the Igbo to be patient and not to be over ambitious to remain successful.

“The Igbo should not over exaggerate, should not be too ambitious, be as simple as possible, don’t overreach your ability. All Igbo should be patient anywhere they find themselves because with patience, you can make huge progress in life.

“There will be liaison offices in different countries of the world, where Igbo in diaspora can always access for solution and survival strategies in the land where they find themselves,” he said.

Apex Igbo sociocultural organisation, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has once again asked the federal government to free the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, after four years in detention.

This was contained in a statement issued by the National Publicity Secretary, Ezechi Chukwu, in Enugu weekend.

The statement pleaded with President Bola Tinubu to use his constitutional powers and diplomatic instruments to free Kanu in the spirit of equity, fairness and inclusive justice.

Ohanaeze recalled that it was exactly four years since the arrest and detention of Kanu in Kenya, before he was extradited to Nigeria.

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“The question of Nnamdi Kanu’s continued detention poses a moral burden on the corporate integrity of the Nigerian judicial system.

The world is watching the extent the Nigerian authorities wish to procrastinate the imperative of releasing Nnamdi Kanu.

“Since his process of extradition from Kenya is unlawful and the basis for his arraignment questionable, one wonders the rationale for detaining Kanu for four years without justice,” he said.

“Ohanaeze Ndigbo at this juncture therefore urges President Tinubu to deploy his constitutional powers and diplomatic instruments to release him, in the spirit of equity, fairness and inclusive justice,” Ohanaeze said.