Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has approved bursaries for 200 university students studying Igbo language as part of efforts to preserve and promote the language.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has approved academic bursaries for 200 students studying Igbo language in universities across Nigeria as part of a renewed effort to preserve and promote the indigenous language.
The initiative is designed to encourage more young people to pursue academic studies in Igbo language and help address concerns over the declining use and possible extinction of the language.
The Global Publicity Secretary of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Dr Ezechi Chukwu, disclosed this on Wednesday while briefing journalists after a one-day retreat of the organisation’s Global Executive Committee and state presidents at the Ohanaeze Secretariat in Enugu.
Chukwu described the bursary scheme as a flagship initiative of the current leadership under President-General Senator John Azuta-Mbata, saying it was unprecedented in the history of the organisation.
“The President-General today declared that Ohanaeze Ndigbo is going to give bursaries to students in tertiary institutions for the development of Igbo language.
“We are starting with about 200 students in various universities in Nigeria,” he said.
The bursary programme forms part of a broader push by the organisation to strengthen the teaching, study and preservation of Igbo language and culture.
Earlier in 2026, Ohanaeze announced its Professorial Endowment Chair initiative, under which professors were appointed to promote research and scholarship in Igbo language and culture. The organisation said the initiative was aimed at responding to concerns that Igbo faces an extinction threat.
Chukwu said the new bursary programme represented another significant investment in the future of the language, adding that no previous leadership of Ohanaeze had undertaken a similar initiative on the reported scale.
He said the retreat also provided an opportunity for the organisation’s Global Executive Committee and state presidents to assess its performance, review achievements and shortcomings, and develop strategies for improved effectiveness.
“Today, we had an in-house constructive conversation by the Global Executive Committee in conjunction with our state presidents, alternatively called the expanded EXCO of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide,” Chukwu said.
He said the meeting focused on reviewing the organisation’s milestones, identifying areas of strength and weakness, setting new targets and developing methods to strengthen its operations as the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation.
According to Chukwu, the organisation had achieved about 70 per cent of its targets within the first one-and-a-half years of the present administration.
He gave the leadership of Azuta-Mbata a strong assessment, describing its performance as “summa cum laude”, meaning “with highest honour”.
The current leadership has increasingly placed language and cultural preservation among its priorities. Recent initiatives have included the establishment of professorial chairs and scholarship programmes aimed at supporting younger generations and strengthening Igbo cultural identity.
The Deputy President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Chief Okey Nwadinobi, said the retreat enabled the organisation to critically examine its activities and identify areas requiring improvement.
“Our desire is to continue to achieve incremental progress as we move on,” Nwadinobi said.
He described Azuta-Mbata as an experienced leader with extensive networks and an understanding of Nigeria’s challenges and the issues confronting Ndigbo.
Nwadinobi said the organisation was gradually addressing some of the important challenges affecting the Igbo people, adding that the results of its interventions were beginning to emerge.
Also speaking, the President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Anambra State chapter, Mazi Chukwuma Okpalaezeukwu, disclosed that the organisation’s youth wing had passed a vote of confidence in the leadership of Azuta-Mbata.
He attributed the decision to what he described as the President-General’s “unmatched, unprecedented and exceptional leadership qualities” and achievements.
Okpalaezeukwu specifically commended the establishment of the Professorial Chair for Igbo language and culture, describing it as an important intervention for protecting Igbo identity and addressing concerns about the future of the language.
The latest bursary announcement comes against the backdrop of growing concern over declining use of Igbo among younger generations. Recent reports have highlighted calls for parents, teachers and community leaders to deliberately promote the use and teaching of the language to younger people.
With the proposed bursaries for 200 university students, Ohanaeze is seeking to combine financial support for students with broader institutional efforts to preserve Igbo language, culture and identity for future generations.
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