Moves by Igbo-speaking people of Nigeria to have a unified movement have intensified as erudite professors Timothy Nwala, Patrick Utomi, and other renowned scholars will this weekend brainstorm in Asaba, the Delta State capital.

The event, themed “Igbo-Bu-Ofu”, will be held in Asaba metropolis, precisely at Jace Darl Hotel, Okpanam City, on Friday and Saturday, August 29th and 30th, 2025. It is being organised by the Igbo Unification Movement in collaboration with Ndi N’asu Bia Socio-Cultural Organisation.

In a statement signed by Chief Cosmas Agada, chairman, Local Organising Committee (LOC), and Kingsley Kainebi, coordinator, they said, “Through this conference tagged ‘Ogbako-Igbo Zara Igbo’ (gathering of all those who are called Igbo), we want to make our diverse people, especially those who are having identity crises, to understand that we are one people.”

According to them, “We are expecting Igbo people from 13 states of Nigeria. The keynote speakers and guest speakers were chosen based on the zeal and patriotism they have displayed in Igbo matters.”

Professor Timothy Nwala, the keynote speaker, is renowned as the father of Contemporary African Philosophy and the first Nigerian graduate in philosophy from an indigenous university. The African Philosophy courses he developed were later adopted in the curricula of many universities in Africa and the United States of America. He is the author of the book “Igbo Philosophy”.

Professor Patrick Utomi, a guest speaker, is a Nigerian professor of political economy and management expert, a native of Igbuzo in Oshimili North LGA of Delta State.

Other guest speakers include Professor Obasi Igwe, a renowned professor of political science from Ohafia LGA, Abia State; Florence Orabueze, a Nigerian poet, writer, and professor of English and Literary Studies, formerly director of the Institute of African Studies; Professor Paul Opone, a historian specializing in Inter-group Relations and Conflict Resolution, and a senior lecturer at Delta State University, Abraka; Dr. Chidi Osuagwu, from the Department of Biochemistry, University of Port Harcourt (1993), with postgraduate studies in Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Houston, USA; and Professor Chinedu Enweoye, a professor of Urban Planning and Environmental Management at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Anambra State.

The speakers will address various topics geared towards the realisation of Igbo unification, said Agada and Kainebi.

The organisers expressed hope that after the gathering, the issue of identity crisis amongst various Igbo subgroups and dialectical groups will become a thing of the past.

They appealed to all Igbo-speaking people of Nigeria to keenly participate in the conference, which they described as the first of its kind. (Daily Sun)