The Centre for Igbo Language and Culture at Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU), Igbariam, has honoured Chief Dr. (Mrs.) Uzoamaka Josephine Aguoji with an award recognising her exceptional contributions to education, humanity, and the promotion of Igbo language and culture both in Nigeria and the diaspora.
The award was presented during the Centre’s maiden Cultural Day Festival, a colourful celebration of Igbo heritage that brought together scholars, traditional rulers, cultural enthusiasts, and members of the public.
Director of the Centre, Professor Christiana Ngozi Ikegwuonu, described the six-month-old Centre as a strategic platform established to preserve, promote, and project the rich cultural heritage, language, values, and identity of the Igbo people.
She praised Vice-Chancellor Professor Kate Omenugha for establishing the Centre, calling it a timely intervention in safeguarding Igbo language and culture for future generations.
Professor Ikegwuonu used the occasion to appeal to parents to deliberately teach their children the Igbo language at home, warning that migration, urbanisation, and interaction with other cultures had caused many Igbo families to neglect their language.
“Our language and culture define our identity. They tell the world who we are and where we come from. Parents must intentionally involve their children in the culture of their people because once the language is lost, identity is gradually lost as well,” she said.
Receiving the award on behalf of Dr. Aguoji, her brother, Pastor Ikechukwu Ekunno, thanked the university and called for sustained efforts to document the Igbo language, history, and traditions in books and educational materials.
He noted that a new cultural awakening was taking place among Igbo communities in the diaspora, with growing demand for materials that teach children born overseas the Igbo language and culture.
Dr. Aguoji’s recognition was widely seen as a fitting tribute to a woman whose career has combined educational excellence with decades of cultural advocacy.
As the first female President of the Council of Igbo States in the Americas (CISA), she made history by returning the globally acclaimed CISA Festival of Arts and Culture to Nigeria after years of being held exclusively in the United States.
The historic festival was hosted in her hometown of Abagana, marking the first homeland edition of the event and symbolising a reconnection between the Igbo diaspora and their ancestral roots.
She had explained her vision as the desire to “bring this beacon back to source,” a goal she said required conviction, courage, and collective support.
Dr. Aguoji also established a dual-hosting model for the festival, allowing future editions to alternate between the diaspora and the homeland, with Ebonyi and Imo States reportedly already expressing interest in hosting future editions.
Former Anambra State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Chief Don Onyenji, also commended the growing interest in Igbo cultural values, noting a remarkable renaissance in recent years following concerns in the early 2000s that the Igbo people were gradually losing their cultural identity.
The festival ended with calls for greater collaboration among educational institutions, traditional institutions, governments, and Igbo organisations worldwide to ensure the Igbo language and traditions flourish for generations to come.
Digital Operations Manager at The Students Forum Nigeria.
