UNIZIK champions cultural renaissance at Igu-Aro Festival.
Nnamdi Azikiwe University once again proved its mettle as a leading light institution in research, innovation and culture with the successful hosting of the 2026 Igu-Aro Festival on Thursday, 8th May 2026.
Hosted by the Directorate of Igbo Village and Institute of African Heritage Studies (IVIAHS), at the ASUU Secretariat, the event brought together, cultural enthusiasts, traditional rulers, academics, staff, students, and lovers of Igbo culture in celebration of the rich heritage and traditions of the Igbo people.
Declaring the event open, Vice-Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Prof. Ugochukwu Bond Stanley Anyaehie, described the event, which also featured the unveiling of the Igbo calendar and UNIZIK academic calendar, Igbo version, as a “landmark step in preserving and promoting our heritage”
Represented by the Dean of Student Affairs, Prof. Kingsley Ubaoji, the Vice Chancellor recalled that the Directorate of Igbo Village and Institute of African Heritage Studies (IVIAHS) was established to research, revive, and revitalise the Igbo language and culture within contemporary realities, while promoting African civilisation and values.
According to him, the Directorate has remained committed to its mandate through programmes such as the UNIZIK Ohazurume Igbo Festival and Igu-Aro UNIZIK.
Speaking on the Igbo calendar system, he explained that the traditional Igbo calendar is built around a four-day week known as Izu, comprising Eke, Orie, Afor, and Nkwo, which continue to serve as market days in many Igbo communities.
He further stated that seven Izu, making 28 days, form one lunar month known as Onwa, while thirteen Onwa make up one Igbo year, Afo. He outlined the thirteen Igbo months and their corresponding Gregorian periods, stressing that the calendar is deeply rooted in Igbo cosmology and traditional belief systems.
The Vice Chancellor also acknowledged the presence of royal fathers at the occasion, including His Royal Highness, Obi Dr. Gibson Nwosu, Eze Uzu II of Awka, represented by the Prime Minister, Chief Benjamin Okoye, Otutu Awka II, as well as His Royal Majesty, Igwe Sir Ralph Obumnemeh Ekpeh, Eze Enugwu-Ukwu na Igwe Umunri, among others.
“Today’s unveiling of the Igbo calendar and UNIZIK academic calendar, Igbo version is epochal, It is a bold attempt by IVIAHS to harmonise our traditional time-reckoning with modern academic life. I challenge our scholars to go further to work towards a standardised Igbo calendar that can guide cultural festivals like Igu-Aro, Iri-ji, and Ofala, with Gregorian equivalents for global reference.
“Though we gather today at the ASUU Secretariat for the 2026 Igu-Aro, the spirit of this festival points us to the permanent home of Igbo heritage in this university. By institutionalising these events, we declare that Igbo language, culture and worldview have an enduring place at Nnamdi Azikiwe University” the Vice Chancellor stated.
Chief Valentine Ozigbo while delivering the keynote address titled “From Calendar to Civilisation: Reclaiming Time, Leadership, and Destiny,” said the Igu-Aro Festival is not merely a cultural observance, but “a declaration of continuity, identity, and a civilisation that has refused to fade.”
“In the Igbo worldview,” he said, “time is not merely counted. It is interpreted, organised, and lived. It gives rhythm to work, meaning to seasons, structure to community, and life direction.”
Explaining the philosophical depth of the Igbo calendar, Ozigbo noted that the traditional lunar system, structured around months, weeks, and market days, carried significance far beyond practicality. According to him, it represented an alignment of human activity with natural order — a framework in which the human, spiritual, and natural realms existed not in tension, but in harmony.
Drawing from scripture, including the Book of Daniel’s declaration that God controls times and seasons, Ecclesiastes’ reminder that there is a season for every purpose under heaven, and Genesis’ establishment of seedtime and harvest, Ozigbo argued that the Igbo ancestors, through their observation of the moon and the rhythms of the earth, were responding in their own cultural idiom to a deeper divine order.
According to him, Igu-Aro represents consciousness and an understanding that life must be lived in rhythm rather than randomness. He explained that the ancestors carefully studied nature, observed patterns, and recognised the interconnectedness between the cycles of the moon, the seasons of the earth, and human existence.
He further stated that time, in traditional Igbo society, was practical and purposeful, guiding farming, trade, spirituality, and community life. He added that the Igbo calendar provided a framework that aligned human activity with natural order, where the spiritual, natural, and human worlds existed in harmony.
Ozigbo noted that life operates in seasons and cycles, making the understanding of time both cultural and spiritual.
In his remarks, the Director of IVIAHS, Very Rev. Prof. Bonachristus Umeogu, described Igu-Aro as an important aspect of Igbo tradition. He emphasised the need for continued participation in the annual celebration to ensure that Igbo culture and heritage do not go into extinction.
Also speaking, His Royal Majesty, Igwe Sir Ralph Obumnemeh Ekpeh, Eze Enugwu-Ukwu na Igwe Umunri reflected on the practice of Igu-Aro in ancient times and stressed the importance of preserving and passing the tradition on to future generations. He later performed the official Igu-Aro declaration for the 2026 celebration.
Among dignitaries present at the event were the University Librarian, Prof. Jacinta Ukamaka Eze, Prof. Nkechinyere Nwokoye, Deans of faculties, HoDs, Director of the Confucius Institute, Prof. Yu Zhangbao, Comrade Aloysius Emeka Attah, Director, Information and Public Relations; Nze na Ozo title holders, and other staff members and students of the university.