Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has designated the last Sunday of every January as an annual thanksgiving day for Ndigbo in remembrance of their survival during the Nigeria-Biafra Civil War.
The decision was taken at the organisation’s Imeobi meeting held at the International Conference Centre (ICC) in Enugu, where the proposal was put to a vote and unanimously adopted.
Announcing the resolution, the Deputy President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Prince Okechukwu Nwadinobi, said the thanksgiving day was instituted to acknowledge divine intervention that prevented the extermination of the Igbo people during the 1967–1970 civil war.
“Last Sunday of every January, all Igbo will go to church for a special thanksgiving to God for saving us from extermination from Nigeria,” Nwadinobi said.
He explained that the Senator Azuta Mbata-led Ohanaeze leadership considered it necessary to establish an annual day of gratitude, noting that without God, the support of a few Nigerians and intervention from the international community, the Biafran cause and the Igbo people might not have survived.
“Nigeria was determined to wipe out the entire Biafra, but for God and the intervention of a few Nigerians and the international community, Biafra would have been consigned to history,” he said.
Beyond the thanksgiving resolution, Nwadinobi highlighted steps taken by the current Ohanaeze leadership to safeguard Igbo interests across the country. He disclosed that the organisation recently dispatched a high-powered delegation to Lagos following the demolition of Igbo-owned properties, particularly in the 6th Avenue area of Festac Town and the Trade Fair Complex.
According to him, a special National Executive Committee (NEC) intervention team has held meetings on the demolitions and is engaging relevant authorities on the matter.
Nwadinobi also said Ohanaeze intervened in the Mandilas Plaza fire incident by meeting with affected traders to prevent future occurrences, adding that professionals were assembled to guide Igbo business owners on best operational practices.
He further revealed that the organisation has entered into a partnership with Otu Oka Iwu, a body of legal professionals, to provide free legal services on issues affecting Ndigbo.
In a goodwill message, former Archbishop of the Enugu Anglican Communion, Dr Emmanuel Olisa Chukwu, welcomed the decision, describing it as timely and spiritually significant.
Chukwu recounted his experience during the civil war, saying he narrowly escaped death during the Asaba massacre.
“I almost lost my life during the war. I would have been killed during the genocide in Asaba, but God saved me,” he said, adding that the experience deepened his faith.
He described the Igbo as deeply religious people whose belief in God had sustained them through years of hardship and adversity.
