CENTRE FOR IGBO LANGUAGE AND CULTURE PAYS COURTESY VISIT TO COOU VICE-CHANCELLOR, ADVANCES CULTURAL PRESERVATION INITIATIVES

The Centre for Igbo Language and Culture, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU), on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, paid a courtesy visit to the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Kate Azuka Omenugha, FNIPR, at the Vice-Chancellor’s Conference Room, Igbariam Campus, ahead of its maiden University Cultural Day celebration. The visit provided an opportunity for the Centre to appreciate the Vice-Chancellor’s unwavering support in promoting the preservation of the Igbo language, culture and heritage within the University community. Present during the visit was the DVC (Academics), Prof. Obiora Ejiofor.

Leading the delegation, the Director of the Centre for Igbo Language and Culture, Prof. Ngozi Ikegwuonu, introduced members of the delegation and expressed profound appreciation to the Vice-Chancellor for her visionary leadership in establishing the Centre. She noted that the creation of the Centre has provided a veritable platform for promoting the rich cultural heritage of the Igbo people within the University, culminating in the maiden University Cultural Day celebration. Describing the initiative as a milestone in the University’s cultural renaissance, Prof. Ikegwuonu thanked the Vice-Chancellor for creating the enabling environment for the Centre to flourish. The delegation thereafter presented gifts to the Vice-Chancellor in appreciation of her firm support.

Also speaking, the Royal Father of the Day, HRM Eze Chukwuemeka Eri, commended Prof. Omenugha for her remarkable commitment to preserving the Igbo language and cultural heritage through purposeful leadership. He prayed for God’s continued guidance and success upon her administration, describing the establishment of the Centre as a timely intervention that would strengthen the identity of the Igbo people for generations to come. The monarch further urged parents to deliberately teach their children the Igbo language, emphasizing that language remains the soul of a people’s culture and identity.

Responding, Prof. Omenugha warmly welcomed the delegation to the Now University and of the Future. She recalled that upon assuming office, the University had no Centre dedicated to the promotion of Igbo language and culture, prompting her administration to establish one as part of its broader vision of preserving indigenous knowledge systems. Expressing delight over the Centre’s progress, particularly the successful organization of its maiden University Cultural Day.

The Vice-Chancellor noted that the Centre was already fulfilling its mandate of promoting the customs, traditions and values of the Igbo people. She further proposed that the University institutionalize a cultural day during which staff and students would attend lectures and official duties dressed in traditional attire as a practical demonstration of pride in their cultural heritage.

The Vice-Chancellor also underscored the importance of raising children with a strong foundation in their native dialect, describing language as a priceless inheritance that must be preserved. She unveiled her long-term vision of transforming the Centre into a renowned cultural and tourism hub, complete with a museum where visitors, researchers and students could explore the rich history, traditions and civilization of the Igbo people.

Commending Prof. Ngozi Ikegwuonu for successfully driving the initiative and appreciating HRM Eze Chukwuemeka Eri and his cabinet for identifying with the University, Prof. Omenugha reaffirmed her administration’s commitment to advancing cultural preservation in line with the University’s 3Vs mantra of Values, Viability and Visibility.

The courtesy visit concluded with a group photograph, symbolizing a shared commitment to preserving and promoting the enduring legacy of the Igbo language and culture.

©️COOUNewS, 2026