His Royal Majesty, Eze Chukwuemeka Eri
…Celebrating Our Roots, Abandoning Our Language: Ejiofor Challenges Ndi Igbo
The Golden Jubilee of His Royal Majesty, Eze Chukwuemeka Eri, on the ancestral throne of the Eri Kingdom became more than a celebration of royalty at the weekend.
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It also served as a rallying call for the preservation and survival of the Igbo language.
Eze Chukwuemeka Eri, the Eze Digboo, Ezeora 34th and Aka Ji Ovo Igbo, marked 50 years on the throne at the historic Obu-Gad Palace, Enugwu Aguleri, the ancestral seat of the Eri Kingdom.
The event attracted sons and daughters of Eri from across Igboland and beyond, who gathered to celebrate the remarkable milestone in the reign of the revered traditional ruler.
The celebration, which coincided with preparations for the 2026 World Eri Festival, was characterised by profound joy, cultural pride and unprecedented jubilation as the monarch continued to discharge his traditional and royal responsibilities.
Prayers were offered in honour of the ancestors at the Obu-Gad Palace in a solemn ceremony that participants described as a profound reminder of their shared ancestry, historical connections and enduring cultural heritage.
According to the enduring Eri traditions of origin, Aguleri occupies a significant place in the ancestral history of Ndi Igbo, with generations of descendants dispersing across different geographical territories, establishing settlements and maintaining enduring bonds of kinship.
The occasion also brought together people from related ancestral communities, including Igbanke in present-day Edo State and communities within Igala, whose historical and cultural connections form part of the wider discourse on Igbo ancestry.
Participants also offered prayers for God’s continued protection, good health, wisdom and longevity for the royal father, expressing the hope that his reign would remain peaceful, fruitful and consequential.
LANGUAGE EXTINCTION DOMINATES DISCUSSIONS
Beyond the pomp and pageantry of the Golden Jubilee, one issue dominated conversations among participants: the alarming decline in the use of the Igbo language and the frightening prospect of its eventual extinction.
The warning was raised by an Anambra State-born human rights lawyer and lead counsel to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor, Esq. (KSC), Dunu-Ezeugosinachi.
In his Monday Musings titled, “50 Years on the Throne of Eze Chukwuemeka Eri: A Golden Jubilee of Ancestral Heritage, and the 2026 World Eri Festival — Time to Confront the Impending Extinction of the Igbo Language!”, Ejiofor described the declining use of the language as a serious cultural challenge that demands urgent and collective attention.
Ejiofor who attended the Golden Jubilee celebration also participated in the prayers at the Obu-Gad Palace.
He said the prediction that the Igbo language could face extinction within the next 40 to 50 years if the prevailing trend remained unchecked could no longer be dismissed as an academic exaggeration.
He noted that scholarly research had already identified the declining transmission of the language to younger generations, particularly within the family setting, as a serious threat to its continued survival.
To illustrate the gravity of the situation, Ejiofor recalled watching a South-East state governor address his predominantly Igbo-speaking kith and kin exclusively in English throughout an election campaign just last week.
He said he observed with particular curiosity the facial expressions and reactions of some members of the audience as they struggled to follow the sophisticated English in which their leader communicated with them.
According to him, the body language of some members of the audience appeared to convey a disturbing message: let us endure this campaign, collect whatever has been promised and return to our homes.
“What greater evidence of our growing linguistic disconnect could there be than a situation in which a leader cannot, or chooses not to, communicate with his predominantly indigenous-language-speaking audience in their mother tongue?” Ejiofor asked.
He contrasted the situation with political engagements in parts of Northern Nigeria, where presidential aspirants and governors frequently communicate with their audiences in Hausa, including during major political campaigns and other public engagements.
He, however, clarified that his position was not an argument against the use of English, which remains an important language of national and international communication.
Rather, he said, the issue was fundamentally one of cultural consciousness, identity and the deliberate preservation of ancestral heritage.
HOW LONG SHALL WE CELEBRATE OUR ANCESTRY WHILE OUR LANGUAGE DIES?
Ejiofor posed a fundamental question to Ndi Igbo: How long shall the people continue to celebrate their ancestry, organise elaborate cultural festivals, honour their traditional institutions and proclaim their rich heritage while allowing the very language that gives expression to their identity to gradually disappear?
“A people who abandon their language gradually surrender an indispensable part of their history,” he said.
He recalled the timeless wisdom of Igbo elders: Onye chefuo ebe o si, amaghi ebe o na-aga (Whoever forgets where he comes from may lose direction about where he is going).
He called on traditional rulers, political leaders, religious institutions, schools, parents and every conscientious Igbo person to rise to the challenge of rescuing the language from the threat of extinction.
“Let us speak Igbo to our children at home, promote its use in our schools, encourage its adoption at public functions and deliberately make it relevant to contemporary education, science, technology, governance and commerce,” he said.
Ejiofor maintained that the 2026 World Eri Festival and the historic Golden Jubilee should inspire something more enduring than festivities and ceremonial celebrations: a renewed and collective commitment to preserving ancestral identity and safeguarding the Igbo language for future generations.
He stressed that a people whose language dies must confront the danger of losing an essential vessel through which their history, values, traditions and collective consciousness are transmitted from one generation to another.
“Let us not wait until the language is lost before we begin to mourn its disappearance. The time to rescue Igbo is NOW!” he declared.
