By Kelechi Ugo.

Igbo Women Assembly on Wednesday 21st February,2024 marked United Nations International Mother Tongue Day.

The event took place at Imo State Council for Art and Culture Complex,Mbari, opposite Obi Eze Imo, Owerri, Imo State with the theme:"preventing endangered languages from death;a case of Igbo language".

However, the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide,Engr. Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu,Imo State Council of Town Unions President-Generals led by Hon. Kingsley Chigozie Omuruka,women leaders, students,youths and other critical stakeholders of Igbo extraction were present during the occasion.

While different Igbo cultural dance groups made the occasion colourful.

In his remark,Engr. Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu decried high rate of decaying of Igbo cultural values and called on all Igbo speaking people to join hands together and revive Igbo language.

He stated that God blessed Igbo people with enough natural resources including limestone for cement,crude oil,ceramics,coal,salt among other natural resources regretting that the South East Zone is marginalized by the country.

The Ohanaeze Ndigbo boasted that nobody will henceforth destroy property  of ndigbo in any part of the country and go free under his watch as the PG.

Also speaking,the President-General of Imo State Council of Town Unions PGs,Hon. Kingsley Chigozie Omuruka regretted that majority of Igbo people have abandoned their mother tongue and chose to always embrace and speak English language unlike Hausa and Yoruba people.

Hon. Omuruka  challenged Igbo mothers to take Igbo language as a priority by ensuring that their children read,write and speak Igbo.

He stated that it is now the duty of the PGs to take the message down to their various communities so as to ensure that Igbo language did not go into extinction.

Earlier, the Convener and National President of Igbo Women Assembly,Lolo Nneka  Chimezie described language as the first identity of everyone recounting her commitments towards reviving Igbo language.

Lolo Chimezie recalled that she has been holding the programme in Lagos,but decided to bring it down home this year so as to reawake the mind of Igbo people on the need to promote and protect their own language.

She expressed happiness over the turn-out for the occasion and prayed God to grant the participants journey mercies back to their various destinations.

The occasion was chaired by the former Vice Chancellor of Imo State University,Prof. Ukachukwu Awuzie.

While awardees were,Dr. Nwachukwu Anakwenze,Eze Paul B. O. Uzuegbu,Okankuzi Pita Nwabueze Ejiofor,Hon. Uche Steve Ogbuagu among others.