Leaders of the Igbo Christian community have proclaimed an annual “Igbo World Day of Adoration and Thanksgiving,” to be observed on the last Saturday of every January, beginning January 31, 2026. The initiative, endorsed by representatives of Igbo Archbishops and Bishops in Alaigbo for Peace and Justice in conjunction with Ohanaeze Ndigbo, aims to unite Igbo Christians worldwide in a solemn act of gratitude for the community’s survival of the Nigerian civil war from 1967 to 1970.
The proclamation roots this new observance in the conviction that the Igbo nation owes God a great debt of gratitude for preserving the people amid what church leaders describe as an existential threat during the conflict. Clerics note that many younger Igbos view the war as distant history, so the annual thanksgiving seeks to honor those who suffered and remind the present generation of what they narrowly escaped.
Churches across the South-East and in the Igbo diaspora will hold special worship services between 9 a.m. and noon on the designated day, featuring prayers, Bible readings, hymns, and testimonies primarily in the Igbo language. Christian denominations are encouraged to keep their individual liturgical styles while aligning on the common date and themes of repentance, reconciliation, and thanksgiving.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the apex socio-cultural organisation of the Igbo, has thrown its weight behind the declaration, urging Igbo sons and daughters at home and abroad to participate fully. The body sees the observance as not only spiritual thanksgiving but also a rallying point for renewed commitment to peace, justice, and responsible leadership in Alaigbo.
Signatories express hope that this annual day of collective gratitude will heal lingering wounds from the civil war, strengthen communal bonds, and inspire moral renewal among the Igbo people. They pray it will attract divine favour and protection ahead, just as God preserved the nation during its darkest hour, Njenje Media News reports.
