The Igbochukwu Foundation has called for a renewed commitment to Igbo identity, unity and cultural values, expressing concern over what it described as the growing exodus of Igbo people from their homeland.
The foundation made the call during the inauguration of its Interim National Executive Council at Obu Gad, Enugwu Aguleri, in Anambra East Local Government Area of Anambra State.
Its convener, Dr Chike Obidigbo, an elder statesman and businessman, said the organisation was established to promote the unity and well-being of the Igbo people amid what he described as existential threats to the region.
Obidigbo attributed the challenges facing the Igbo community to both government policies, which he said had contributed to marginalisation, and internal factors that have encouraged people to leave the South-East for other parts of Nigeria and abroad.
He said the foundation was created to rekindle the Igbo spirit of excellence, hard work, unity and strong moral principles.
According to him, the organisation believes that urgent efforts are needed to preserve Igbo identity and prevent what he described as the possible extinction of the people’s cultural heritage.
Obidigbo traced the history of perceived discrimination against the Igbo to Nigeria’s post-independence years, arguing that the experience took another dimension after the Nigerian Civil War, which lasted from 1967 to 1970.
He also expressed concern that the desire to embrace foreign cultures and practices, alongside the movement of people away from the Igbo heartland, had contributed to the weakening of cultural identity.
The convener said the foundation would provide a platform for discussions, value reorientation and thought leadership on issues affecting the Igbo nation, rather than relying solely on complaints about marginalisation.
At the ceremony, His Grace, Most Rev. Dr R. C. Opoko, JP, was inaugurated as the foundation’s President General.
In his acceptance speech, Opoko said the organisation would pursue the interests of the Igbo people peacefully and diligently, while promoting a way of life rooted in their cultural and spiritual values.
The foundation’s inauguration marks an effort by its founders to encourage greater cultural consciousness, unity and collective responsibility among Igbo people, particularly those living outside the South-East.
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