Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has formally declared the last Saturday of every January as Igbo Adoration and Thanksgiving Day, urging churches across Igbo land and in the diaspora to observe the day as a unifying spiritual event for the Igbo nation.

The decision followed an appeal by the Igbo College of Bishops, which objected to an earlier resolution by the Ohanaeze Imeobi that fixed the observance on the last Sunday of January.

 

Ohanaeze explained that the bishops, after the Imeobi meeting held on December 23 in Enugu, dispatched a delegation to the most recent meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) to request a shift from Sunday to Saturday to avoid clashes with regular church services.

Members of the delegation included Archbishop David Onuoha of the Owerri Anglican Province and Archbishop Sosthenes Eze of the Enugu Anglican Province, among other senior clerics.

The NEC granted the appeal, leading to a reversal of the earlier resolution. Ohanaeze said the Imeobi would be formally notified of the change at its next meeting.

In a statement issued by the National Publicity Secretary of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Ezechi Chukwu, PhD, the President-General of the organisation, Senator Azuta Mbata, urged Ndigbo at home and in the diaspora to recognise the significance of the day.

Mbata described the Igbo Adoration and Thanksgiving Day as “a moment of collective gratitude to God for His enduring mercies and grace upon the Igbo nation, despite the numerous challenges encountered over the decades.”

He called on all churches in Igbo land to observe the maiden edition of the event on Saturday, January 31, 2026, between 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon, with prayers, adoration and thanksgiving.

Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide calls on all Igbo people to participate wholeheartedly in making this day a unifying spiritual landmark for the Igbo nation, Mbata said.