Today, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide hired four academics as part of its Professorial Endowment Chair program to make sure that the Igbo language doesn’t die out.
Prof. Mercy Nnyigide from Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Awka, Prof. Boniface Mbah from the University of Nigeria Nsukka, Prof. Ngozi Emeka-Nwobi from Ebonyi State University in Abakaliki, and Prof. Ngozi Chukwukere from Imo State University in Owerri are among the appointed academics.
Ohanaeze promised in 2025 to set up seven professorial chairs in Igbo studies at universities in Igbo-speaking states to promote the language, culture, history, and research, according to NAN.
John Azuta-Mbata, President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, spoke at the Ohanaeze Secretariat in Enugu when he gave the check. He added that the project was started because people were worried by warnings that the Igbo language was in danger.
“We have been flooded with news from UNESCO and other organizations that the Igbo language is in danger of dying out.”
He remarked, “This has made us take deliberate steps to promote research, documentation, and scholarly activities in Igbo language and culture.”
Azuta-Mbata said that the professorial chairs were part of a larger plan to improve scholarship and get people interested in the language again.
He claimed that the process of choosing was quite strict and that four chairs had already been filled. He also said that the other three would be filled soon.
He also said that Ohanaeze wanted to help more students by giving them scholarships and bursaries, as well as digital learning programs on its website.
He said that the group also wants to teach roughly 200 young people how to code and use AI, starting with 100 in the first phase.
He praised the chosen scholars for their hard work and called for everyone to work together to protect the language.
Prof. Damian Opata, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees Professorial Chair Endowment, also spoke. He called the project new and the first of its kind in the organization’s history.
He said the goal of the program was to encourage research, set up academic events, and create Igbo language study programs in Nigeria and around the world.
Earlier, Prof. Fred Eze, Secretary of the Board of Trustees for the Professorial Chair, said that the selection process was quite strict and required carefully reviewing research proposals and academic qualifications to make sure that only the top applicants from the region were chosen.
Prof. Boniface Mbah spoke for the appointments and thanked Ohanaeze for the chance. He also promised that they will work to improve Igbo language studies.
He pledged that if people worked together and kept trying, the Igbo language would not only survive but also grow for future generations.
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