By Ezechi Chukwu, PhD
In every civilization, language remains the deepest expression of a people’s identity, history, philosophy, and worldview. Once a people lose their language, they gradually lose the very essence of their existence. This growing concern has become increasingly evident among Ndigbo as globalization, westernization, and social pressures continue to weaken the use of the Igbo language among younger generations both at home and in the diaspora.
Across many Igbo homes today, children speak foreign languages fluently while struggling to communicate in their mother tongue. Traditional values, folklore, proverbs, and indigenous knowledge systems are steadily fading from daily life. For many cultural scholars and stakeholders, the danger is no longer distant but immediate.
It is against this troubling backdrop that the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Senator John Azuta-Mbata, has emerged as one of the strongest contemporary voices championing the revival of Igbo language, culture, and civilization.
Since assuming office, Senator Azuta-Mbata has placed cultural rebirth at the heart of Ohanaeze agenda, insisting that the future of Ndigbo cannot be secured without preserving the linguistic and cultural foundations handed down by the ancestors. His leadership has introduced a renewed intellectual and cultural consciousness within Ohanaeze, one that many observers describe as unprecedented in recent history.
During a recent gathering of Igbo leaders, scholars, traditional stakeholders, and diaspora organizations at the Ohanaeze National Secretariat in Enugu, Ohanaeze President-General delivered what many attendees described as a passionate cultural awakening speech.
Addressing the audience with deep concern over the declining use of Igbo language, Senator Azuta-Mbata charged Ndigbo across the world to become deliberate custodians of their heritage. According to him, the survival of the Igbo nation is inseparable from the survival of its language.
“The soul of every people lives in their language. Once a people abandon their mother tongue, they gradually surrender their identity, history, and ancestral pride. Ndigbo must consciously speak Igbo wherever they are in the world and teach it to their children with pride,” he stated.
His message resonated strongly with members of Igbo diaspora groups who attended the event. He reminded them that migration and modernization must never become excuses for cultural detachment.
“Whether in America, Europe, Asia, or anywhere else, Ndigbo must remain proud ambassadors of their language and heritage. Speaking Igbo is not a sign of backwardness; it is a mark of identity, dignity, and cultural confidence,” Senator Azuta-Mbata declared.
For many participants, the speech reflected a broader vision gradually unfolding under his leadership — the vision of a cultural renaissance aimed at reconnecting younger generations of Ndigbo with their roots. One of the most remarkable manifestations of that vision is the recent endowment of four Professorial Chairs by Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide for the promotion of research and scholarship in Igbo language, history, and culture. The initiative, unveiled at the Enugu Secretariat of Ohanaeze, has been widely applauded in academic and cultural circles as a bold intellectual intervention capable of preserving Igbo civilization for future generations.
The Vice Chancellor of Imo State University, Professor Uchefula Chukwumaeze SAN, praised Senator Azuta-Mbata and the National Executive Committee of Ohanaeze for demonstrating what he described as exceptional foresight and commitment to cultural preservation.
According to the Vice Chancellor, “Senator Azuta-Mbata and his NEC have shown uncommon courage and vision by institutionalizing academic research into Igbo language and civilization. This intervention represents a historic contribution to the preservation of our identity and heritage. Future generations of Ndigbo will remember this leadership with gratitude.”
Also lending his voice, Professor Elochukwu Amucheazi described the initiative as one of the most profound cultural interventions in contemporary Igbo history. He noted that no society can truly progress after abandoning its ancestral language and values, urging parents and institutions to support the ongoing cultural revival campaign of Ohanaeze.
Indeed, many cultural advocates believe that the renewed emphasis on language preservation under Senator Azuta-Mbata marks a defining moment for the Igbo nation. Beyond rhetoric, the current Ohanaeze leadership appears determined to institutionalize cultural consciousness through scholarship, advocacy, community engagement, and intergenerational education.
The challenge, however, extends beyond Ohanaeze alone. The responsibility of preserving the Igbo language belongs collectively to parents, schools, churches, traditional rulers, media organizations, town unions, artists, and young people themselves. Every Igbo home must become a center for cultural transmission. Every community must recognize that language is not merely a communication tool but the living vessel of memory, values, and identity.
The wisdom of the ancestors remains timeless: “A sụa asụsụ mmadụ, a sụa ndụ ya” — when one speaks a people’s language, one speaks their life.
Another proverb reminds us that “Igwe bụ ike” — unity is strength. If Ndigbo unite sincerely behind the cultural vision being championed by Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, the revival of Igbo language and culture may yet become one of the greatest collective achievements of this generation. History may ultimately remember this period as the moment when Ndigbo rose again to defend the soul of their civilization before it slipped into silence.
Ezechi Chukwu, PhD is the;
National Publicity Secretary,
Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide
