Christian leaders across Igbo land, in collaboration with Ohanaeze Ndigbo, have resolved to dedicate the last Saturday of every January as a solemn day of thanksgiving to God in gratitude for the survival of the Igbo people after the Nigerian–Biafran Civil War of 1967–1970.
The leaders said the annual observance, to be known as the Igbo World Day of Adoration and Thanksgiving, is aimed at collectively acknowledging God’s mercy, protection and grace over the Igbo race, particularly for averting total annihilation during and after the devastating war.
They noted that, despite the magnitude of loss and suffering experienced during the conflict, the Igbo nation has never unanimously come together to thank God for life after the war, stressing that such an act of gratitude would strengthen unity, love and shared identity among Ndi Igbo.
Addressing journalists in Enugu on Monday during a press conference organised by archbishops and bishops ahead of the 2026 edition of the event, the Archbishop of the Anglican Ecclesiastical Province, Most Rev. Engr. Sustenance Eze, spoke on behalf of Christian leaders across Igbo land.
According to him, the yearly exercise is designed to give thanks to God for preserving the Igbo people from the outbreak of the war in 1967 through its conclusion three years later.
“The significance and objective of this global spiritual exercise for the Igbos is to acknowledge God for the gift of life, safety and assistance in our daily endeavours,” Archbishop Eze said.
“It is a movement in gratitude to what God has done for the Igbos since the Biafra war broke out in the year 1967. Psalm 121 and Genesis 9, Genesis chapters 12 to 15, show the importance of giving thanks to God,” he added.
Archbishop Eze reflected on the repeated ordeals faced by the Igbo people across the country, noting that survival in the face of adversity is itself evidence of divine favour.
“At different times and locations, the Igbo have been oppressed, with properties destroyed across the country, and despite all these, they are victorious. Sometimes our victories may not come as anticipated until we turn to worship,” he said.
“The survival of an Igbo man is a sign of God’s love and good wishes for us. The church feels that we must do this yearly to acknowledge that God is the giver of life and His sovereignty over all. It will help an Igbo man to improve in unity, love for one another, humanity and reverence for God in all our daily transactions. We have agreed that it will be an annual event every last Saturday of January where all political and traditional leaders will join.”
Outlining the programme for the day, Archbishop Eze said church services would hold simultaneously across Igbo communities worldwide.
“My episcopal ministry is hinged on the delivery of the Igbo race,” he stated. “On the last Saturday of this month, which is 31st of January, church services will be held in various local churches of different denominations across areas where the Igbo race reside, between 9am and 12 noon.
“We have engaged town criers in communities and urge all markets to observe a three-hour closure to enable people participate in this prayer exercise between 9am and 12pm. We are also looking forward to cooperation from our political leaders, as we intend to have a central service in a church that will be chosen.”
In his remarks, the Bishop of Rock Family Church, Enugu, Bishop Obi Onubuogu, said he personally witnessed the horrors of the war in his twenties and understands the urgency of collective thanksgiving.
He described the day as one chosen deliberately for gratitude rather than bitterness, stressing that the Igbo people survived solely by God’s mercy.
“What we are doing is about celebrating what God has done for us,” Bishop Onubuogu said. “I was in my 20s when all these happened and now I am 86. If I had died, I would not be alive to have 15 grandchildren and to raise people who join me in winning souls for God.
“Next Saturday is not for politics or argument. It is a day of gratitude, a day of God’s gift, because we did not survive by our strength but by God’s mercy. It is a miracle that I am here. I survived snake bites, bullets, bombings and scorpion bites, but God saved me.”
Recalling his service during the war, he added: “I worked with the government of Biafra as a personal assistant to Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, even during his exile in Ivory Coast. I celebrate this coming day because God saved my life in order to save others through His word. We chose thanksgiving over bitterness and ask people all over the world to celebrate with us.”
Also speaking, the former Bishop of Oji River Diocese of the Anglican Communion, Most Rev. Dr. Amos Madu (rtd), described the initiative as long overdue, saying it provides an opportunity for Ndi Igbo to acknowledge God’s omnipotence and faithfulness.
“My people, we appreciate and celebrate God who has done so many things for us,” he said. “To have a nation called Igbo still existing today is a miracle. What happened between 1967 and 1970 was unimaginable. We were practically decimated and had nothing, yet survived without food, shelter and amenities. It can only be God and nothing more.”
Dr. Madu observed that earlier generations of war survivors failed to collectively thank God after the conflict, focusing instead on rebuilding their lives materially.
“When the war ended, those who survived, especially from 68 years upwards, did not deem it necessary to celebrate God together as Noah did in the Bible. That is what the Igbo nation missed and now needs. Having offended God, we are ready to remedy it with a day of adoration and thanksgiving,” he said, noting that similar observances exist in countries like the United States and Germany.
On his part, the Archbishop Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria, Enugu Synod, Most Rev. Prof. Ezichi Anya Ituma, said the annual event would deepen the Igbo people’s relationship with God and foster unity.
“Igbo World Day of Adoration and Thanksgiving is a welcomed development,” he said. “I was seven during the war and remember everything. I saw many dangers. Some churches thanked God immediately after the war, but the Igbo race as a whole did not.”
Sharing a personal experience, he added: “My father was a naval captain who would have gone to war, but my mother chose her elder brother to go in his place. That was God’s intervention. All Igbos should take this prayer seriously and be thankful.”
In a closing remark, the Bishop of the Church of Nigeria, Enugu State Diocese, Most Rev. Barr. Chris Edeh, represented by Very Rev. C.C. Ojike, urged Ndi Igbo to place high value on the exercise, noting that the spiritual benefits of collective thanksgiving are immeasurable.
