Ohanaeze Seeks Compulsory Igbo Language Education

The Enugu State House of Assembly has been called upon  to enact a law for Igbo language to be taught in all primary and secondary schools in the state.

Newly elected executive members of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, a pan-Igbo Cultural Organisation, Enugu State Chapter who  made the call Thursday when they called on the speaker, Enugu state House of Assembly Hon, Eugene Odo, at the Legislative Chambers of the house, said the call became necessary because  they would want Igbo culture especially Igbo language to be sustained at all costs.

The  Ohanaeze Exco led by the new chairman, Chief Eric Ebeh, also called on the House to enact a law forcing every civil servant in the state to put on native or cultural wears on Fridays to depict Igbo culture.

The Ohanaeze chieftains, called on the House to enact a law mandating members of the House to use Igbo language to conduct the business of the House at least four times in a month.

The Eric Ebeh led Ohanaeze also used the opportunity to solicit the help of the House to assist them inaugurate their new EXCO by assisting them financially.

They lamented that Enugu Ohanaeze among all the Ohanaeze chapters in Igbo land does not have a utility vehicle bearing the name of Ohanaeze Ndigbo as is obtained in the rest four states that make up the South East and that Enugu Ohanaeze chairman does not have official cars like other chairmen from the zone and pleaded with the House to help them achieve their set objective.

They also drew the attention of the House to the fact that they lack an office or a secretariat apart from  the National Ohanaeze Secretariat at 7, Park Avenue Enugu which at times they are not allowed to use.

Also speaking, the Deputy National President of Ohanaeze, Barr. O.A.U Onyema who accompanied the exco stated that they decided to call on the speaker first before embarking on visiting other places and people to draw their attention to the plight of the pan-Igbo cultural organisation.

The speaker Enugu State House of Assembly, Hon. Odoh, told the committee members that they had already started implementing some of the requests they made like enforcing Igbo language to be taught in schools in the state saying that it only remained an implementation of the law.

He pointed out that House members most of the time attend sitting in cultural dress like adding once in a while they conduct their business in Igbo language including writing down the proceeding of the House in Igbo language.

He pointed out that Enugu House of assembly  was doing so much for the promotion of Igbo culture including the donation of a  trophy competition in Igbo language by schools in the state in April this year.

In a vote of thanks, the patron of the Ohanaeze exco, Igwe Emmanuel O. Ugwu of Ibagwa Nike called on Ohanaeze chieftains to wade into crisis in Igbo land with a view to solving such problems and to assist the traditional rulers as well as political leaders to do well for their people.