Ohanaeze Ndigbo cautions against cultural erosion ahead of 2025 Ahiajoku Lecture, urging action to preserve Igbo language and traditions

The President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Senator John Azuta-Mbata, issued the warning when the planning committee for the festival visited him in Enugu at the weekend.

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He stressed that the lecture theme, “The Future of Igbo Economy Amidst the Challenges of Insecurity: A Call for Paradigm Shift”, was both timely and symbolic.

Mbata, who pledged to attend in person, described the festival as an intellectual and cultural platform for Ndigbo to reflect on identity, survival, and progress.

“Ahiajoku remains an avenue for deep conversations among Ndigbo on culture, language, and survival. UNESCO has reported that the Igbo language is endangered, and urgent measures are needed to avert cultural erosion,” he said.

He revealed that his administration had established professorial endowment chairs in universities to advance research on Igbo history, traditions, and language.

He also praised Governor Hope Uzodimma for reviving the Ahiajoku Lecture Series after years of neglect, describing the governor as a cultural torchbearer.

Earlier, the Director General of the Ahiajoku Centre and committee secretary, Hon Nze Ray Emeana, traced the origins of the festival to 1979 under the late Governor Sam Mbakwe.

He highlighted the role of eminent intellectuals such as Professors Chinua Achebe, Ben Nwabueze, and Laz Ekwueme in elevating the Ahiajoku platform into Africa’s foremost cultural festival of ideas.

Emeana noted that this year’s edition marks both the 45th anniversary and the 25th lecture in the series.

He emphasised that insecurity and economic downturn remain the twin challenges confronting Ndigbo, making the chosen theme urgent and relevant.

The 2025 planning committee is chaired by former Ohanaeze President General Chief Gary Igariwey, with seasoned banker Sir Stanley Amuchie serving as deputy.

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With the apex Igbo leadership fully on board, organisers say the festival will carry the moral weight of the Igbo nation and inspire the diaspora to reconnect with their heritage.