“Igbos Are Losing Their Identity”

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An Igbo renaissance conference has been slated to hold in February at Owerri, Imo state to critically examine and proffer solutions to the cause of backwardness of Ndigbo in Nigeria.

Organisers of the conference, the Ikemba Ojukwu Centre, Owerri, regretted that Igbos who were on the commanding heights of the military, politics, academia and commerce before Nigeria’s independence were now at the lowest rung in the nation’s socio-political and economic development.

The Director General (DG) of the centre, Dr. Samfo Nwankwo, at a conference in Umuahia, Abia state said, said that Igbo people are suffering cultural identity crisis, as the Igbo language was on the verge of extinction.

He said that after a painful analysis of what has been the lot of the Igbo recently, the centre, decided to convoke an emergency conference, which involved all prominent Igbos and groups, to know where the problem arose and why.
Dr. Nwankwo, who is also the Special Adviser to Imo State Government on Igbo Affairs, disclosed that the conference will expectedly host political, academic and religious leaders, traditional rulers, town union presidents, women organisations, youth groups and Ohanaeze Ndigbo, among others.

According to him, “This is going to be the greatest gathering of the Igbo nation with the sole purpose of seeking a solution to our current travails. It is defeatist for us to blame anybody for our woes in the nation. The finger should first point at us. Our greatest problem today is the erosion of our core values, and, regrettably, our language about to vanish.

“As I speak, Igbos are losing their identity. Many are ignorant of our culture, which is the way of life of a people. Many of our children can’t even speak the Igbo language. Without a language, people can’t have cohesion not to talk of unity. So that is our dilemma.”

Top on the agenda is endorsement of a private member bill to be sent to Houses of Assembly in the South East aimed at making the teaching of Igbo language compulsory in all schools in Igboland. The Houses of Assembly are also asked to conduct their sessions in Igbo language at least thrice a week.

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