Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
Igbo women under the aegis of the Igbo Women Assembly (IWA) have vowed to halt the steady decline of the Igbo language, blaming growing disinterest among younger generations for its endangered status.
The women explained that the decision to relocate the celebration of International Mother Tongue Day from Lagos to the South-East three years ago was deliberate and aimed at reviving the use of the Igbo language and culture within the region.
In a statement issued on Wednesday and signed by IWA National President, Lolo Nneka Chimezie, the group announced that this year’s Mother Tongue Day celebration will hold on Saturday in Awka, the Anambra State capital.
According to the statement, the event will be preceded by a symposium on Friday at 4:00 p.m. at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, featuring lectures and panel discussions focused on the preservation and promotion of the Igbo language and culture.
Mother Tongue Day, celebrated in collaboration with the United Nations, is designed to promote indigenous languages and prevent them from going into extinction.
Explaining the rationale behind the relocation, the statement read in part:
“We celebrated the United Nations Mother Tongue Day in Lagos from 2020 to 2023. However, three years ago, we decided to move it to the South-East after discovering that even people in our villages were increasingly abandoning the language.
“Regrettably, about 90 per cent of our children between the ages of one and 15 neither understand nor speak Igbo. That is why we brought the celebration home — to promote the language among our younger generation.”
IWA noted that the first South-East edition was held in Owerri, Imo State, in 2024, followed by Umuahia, Abia State, in 2025, with Awka hosting the 2026 edition.
The group traced the long-standing campaign for the survival of the Igbo language to late language advocates, including F.C. Ogbalu, Professor Peter Ejiofor, and Professor Arinze Ubabunike, adding that IWA formally joined the movement in 2019.
Warning against the dangers of language extinction, IWA stressed that Igbo identity would be irreparably damaged if the language disappears.
“Once we lose our language, we are finished. Language is our identity and a tool for unity. If our children do not speak Igbo, how can they be united or proud of their ethnicity?” the statement said.
Lolo Chimezie argued that the Igbo language is neither inferior nor a mistake, urging Ndigbo at home and in the diaspora to be intentional about passing the language to the next generation.
She commended Igbo families in China and the United States who are actively promoting the Igbo language and culture among their children.
IWA called on Igbo leaders, community presidents-general, opinion leaders, and stakeholders across the South-East to actively participate in the Awka event in support of the campaign to preserve the Igbo language and cultural heritage.
The statement further disclosed that the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Senator Azu Mbata; former Anambra State Commissioner for Information, Professor Stella Okunna; and His Royal Majesty Eze Chukwuemeka Nri (Aka Jiofo Nri) are among the dignitaries expected at the two-day event.
