The Igbo Women Assembly (IWAA) has expressed alarm over the increasing trend of mass emigration of Igbos from the South-East region to other parts of the country and overseas.
Speaking with journalists in Umuahia on Wednesday, the group highlighted the significant movement of people who are permanently settling or establishing businesses and families outside of Igbo land.
Nneka Chimezie, the National President of IWAA, emphasized that the South-East’s development is hindered by the continuous decline in population and the dispersion of resources away from the region. She noted that many individuals leaving the region show little interest in returning to their original homes or maintaining connections with the Igbo language and culture.
Chimezie stated, ‘We want to ensure that our men change from importation to production. The only way of getting our people to remain in the South-East and to grow the South population is to build industries.’
She also raised concerns about the diminishing status of the Igbo language, stating that ‘many adults and children now shun the language, and the language will go extinct in a few years.’
To address this issue, IWAA has established schools in Lagos State where Igbo studies and cultures are exclusively taught. Chimezie mentioned that her organization plans to collaborate with Ohanaeze Ndigbo to revive the language and culture of the Igbo people.
She appealed to traditional rulers, church leaders, and community leaders to join efforts in reversing this concerning trend.”