'If we lose our language, we lose our identity - Igbo women caution * To hold Mother Tongue Day in Awka Feb 20, 21

‘If we lose our language, we lose our identity – Igbo women caution

* To hold Mother Tongue Day in Awka Feb 20, 21

By Steve Oko

Igbo women under the auspices of Igbo Women Assembly, IWA, have noted with concern, the disturbing decline in the willingness of the younger Igbo generation to communicate in Igbo language.

Frowning at the preference of English and other languages over Igbo language by most young Igbo persons, WA warned that the Igbo nation could lose their identity if their language goes into extinction.

IWA urged Ndigbo home and abroad to proudly promote their language and culture, warning that any day Igbo language goes into extinction, the race will lose its prestigious identity.

“Once we lose this language, we are finished. If we lose our language, Igbo race will vanish from the surface of the earth. There might be Igbo people around, but if we don’t speak our language, nobody will identify us.

Above is IWA Igbo school, Gbagada chapter

“Language is a tool for identify and unity. The English language we speak does not unite us, it enables the West to easily control us and make us feel inferior about our own language.

“If our children are not speaking our language, how are they going to be united? How will they ever be proud of their ethnicity? The Hausa/Fulani, and Yoruba will never stop speaking their language wherever they go but the Igbo easily trade off our mother tongue for other people’s language. This has to stop if we must continue to exist as a people.

“The English people , French, German Spanish, Portuguese are smart people because they jealousy guard their languages and force them on others. Today different nations speak these languages and the owners of these languages will never go extinct.”

Arguing that Igbo language was not a mistake nor inferior to any language, Lolo Chimezie urged Ndigbo all over the world to be deliberate about their language.

She particularly commended some Igbo families in China and America who now proudly promote Igbo language and culture among their children.

IWA encouraged Igbo leaders including President Generals of communities opinion leaders from across the South East to fully participate in the Awka event

IWA vowed not to allow Igbo language go into extinction despite the growing lack of interest in the language by the younger generation.

This is as the women have explained that the reason behind the relocation of the celebration of Mother Tongue Day from Lagos to South East , three years ago was to promote the declining Igbo language and culture in the zone.

IWA, in a press statement issued Tuesday said this year’s Mother Tongue Day would be celebrated in Awka the Anambra State capital on Saturday.

According to the statement signed by IWA National President, Lolo Nneka Chimezie, the event will be preceded by a symposium on Friday by 4:pm at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka.

It said the event would also feature lectures and panel discussions on Igbo language and culture.

Wawa News Global reports that Mother Tongue Day which is held in collaboration with the United Nations is aimed at promoting indigenous languages to prevent them from going into extinction.

According to the statement, the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Senator Azu Mbata; former Commissioner for Information, Anambra State, Professor Stella Okunna, and HRM, Eze Chukwuemeka Nri (Aka jiofo Nri); are among the special dignitaries at the two -day event.

The statement read in part:”We want to celebrate the United Nations Mother Tongue Day as we’ve always done. We’ve been doing it in Lagos from 2020 to 2023. But three years ago, we decided to bring it down to South East because we realised that even people in our villages are worse hit in terms of not speaking the language.

” Regrettably, 90% of our children from 15 years down to one year, don’t even understand, not to talk of speaking Igbo language. So, we decided to bring the celebration of Mother Tongue Day down to the South East to promote Igbo language among our younger generation.

“We did the first one in 2024 in Owerri, Imo State. The second one held in Umuahia, Abia State in 2025, and then we intend to hold this year’s edition in Awka, Anambra State.

“We have sustained the campaign for the survival of Igbo language for a very long time, starting from F.C. Ogbalu, who tried to promote this language till his death.

Professor Peter Ejiofor took over and tried his best before he died. Prof. Arinze Ubabunike took over from him until 2025 when he also died. IWA joined the campaign in 2019.”