The Abia State Chapter of the Igbo Women Assembly has been charged with the need to promote the Igbo language and restore the dignity of Igbo cultural heritage.
The former Acting Executive Director of the National Roots Crop Research Institute (NRCRI) Umudike, Dr. Godwin Asumugha, made this call during the inauguration of the Abia State Chapter of the Igbo Women Assembly held in Umuahia recently. He also urged the group to support the advocacy for promoting Igbo rich cultural heritage and the use of the mother tongue.
Dr. Asumugha expressed regret that the Igbo language and its rich cultural heritage and values are gradually going into extinction, with many households finding it difficult to communicate in Igbo.
He disclosed that urgent measures must be taken to arrest the ugly situation from escalating and tasked the Igbo Women Assembly to put in their best in restoring the dignity of Igbo cultural heritage.
He commended the President of the Igbo Women Assembly, Lolo Nneka Chimezie, and her team for their doggedness and commitment to advancing the cause of the Igbo nation and encouraged the use of the mother tongue.
Earlier in her address, the President of the Igbo Women Assembly, Lolo Nneka Chimezie, said that the Igbo socio-cultural organization was established in 2008 with an emphasis on promoting the Igbo language and its rich cultural heritage, as well as creating platforms to enable women to access loans to enhance their businesses.
In their remarks, a lecturer at the Igbo National Institute for Languages, Aba, Prof. Nkechinyere Ohaike, and a former commissioner in the state, Lady Elizabeth Uhegbu, urged the women to unite in their efforts to save Igbo culture and language while contributing to national development.
Responding, the State Coordinator of the Igbo Women Assembly, Pastor Mrs. Ijeoma Nwanna, described the Igbo language as one that unites Ndi Igbo across the board and assured that the group would justify the confidence reposed in them.
