By Peter Omopo | September 17, 2025
The apex Igbo sociocultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, has raised fresh concerns about the erosion of Igbo culture and language, urging urgent steps to safeguard the heritage of the people.
Speaking in Enugu at the weekend when the planning committee for the 2025 Ahiajoku Lecture Festival paid him a courtesy visit, the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Senator John Azuta-Mbata, described the annual lecture series as a critical platform for reflection on Igbo identity, values, and survival.
The 2025 festival, scheduled to hold next week in Owerri, Imo State, will focus on the theme: “The Future of Igbo Economy Amidst the Challenges of Insecurity: A Call for Paradigm Shift.”
Azuta-Mbata, who pledged to personally attend the event, commended the organisers for their dedication, while formally endorsing the lecture on behalf of Ohanaeze. He also stressed that cultural preservation must remain a priority.
“Ahiajoku remains an avenue for deep conversations among Ndigbo on culture, language, and survival. UNESCO has reported that the Igbo language is endangered, and we urge urgent measures to avert cultural erosion. We are encouraging studies and research on Igbo language and culture, and we have set up a committee for that,” he said.
The Ohanaeze leader disclosed that his administration had established professorial endowment chairs in Nigerian universities to promote research in Igbo history, tradition, and language. He also lauded Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State for reviving the Ahiajoku Lecture Series after years of neglect.
Earlier, the Director General of the Ahiajoku Centre and Secretary of the Planning Committee, Hon. Nze Ray Emeana, traced the origin of the festival to 1979, when it was inaugurated by the late Imo State Governor, Chief Sam Mbakwe, as a platform for Igbo introspection and the projection of the Igbo worldview.
Emeana recalled the intellectual giants who had graced the podium in the past, including Professors Chinua Achebe, Ben Nwabueze, MJC Echeruo, Donatus Nwoga, Adiele Afigbo, Laz Ekwueme, and Barth Nnaji, noting that their contributions elevated Ahiajoku into Africa’s foremost cultural festival of ideas.
He emphasised that the 2025 edition would be historic, marking the 45th anniversary of the festival and the 25th lecture in the series. According to him, the choice of this year’s theme reflects the urgency of addressing insecurity and economic challenges, which remain pressing concerns for the Igbo nation.
The planning committee is chaired by a former President General of Ohanaeze, Chief Gary Igariwey, with seasoned banker Sir Stanley Amuchie as deputy. With the full backing of Ohanaeze’s leadership, Emeana said the festival now carries the “broader legitimacy and moral weight of the Igbo nation,” ensuring its outcomes resonate across Igboland and the global diaspora.
