Abia State is set to host the 2026 Igbo Day celebration, with prominent Igbo leaders, governors, scholars and other distinguished personalities expected in Umuahia for two days of activities focused on unity, heritage and development.

The celebration, themed “NJIKO KA – Unity is Supreme,” is designed to promote Igbo unity, celebrate the cultural heritage of the people, encourage intellectual and developmental advancement, and honour the aspirations of past heroes.

Governor Alex Chioma Otti will host the event, while the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Senator John Azuta-Mbata, is expected to attend alongside other dignitaries.

Activities will begin on Monday, September 28, 2026, with an inspection tour of selected projects executed by the Abia State Government under Governor Otti.

The tour will provide the Ohanaeze leadership and other invited guests with an opportunity to inspect some of the projects and development initiatives undertaken by the state administration.

Later that day, the 2026 Dinner and Igbo Day Lecture Night will take place at the Michael Okpara Auditorium, Umuahia, from 5pm.

The lecture will focus on “The Igbo Charter & Development of Ala Igbo,” with economist, scholar and former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Prof. Kingsley Moghalu, as the keynote speaker.

Chief Onyema Ugochukwu, CON, will serve as chairman of the occasion for the dinner and lecture, which is expected to provide a platform for discussions on the future development of Ala-Igbo.

The second day of the celebration will begin on Tuesday, September 29, with a wreath-laying ceremony at the Oguiyi Ironsi Cenotaph from 10am to honour and remember past heroes.

Governors expected at the ceremony include Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State, Dr. Peter Mbah of Enugu State, Senator Hope Uzodinma of Imo State and Rt. Hon. Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State.

Governor Otti, other governors or their representatives, the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide and other invited dignitaries are also expected to participate in the ceremony.

At noon, activities will move to the Michael Okpara Square Event Centre, by Prof. Nnenna Oti Bus Terminal, Umuahia, for an interdenominational service.

The service will provide participants with an opportunity for prayer, thanksgiving and reflection, while highlighting themes of unity, peace, sacrifice and collective responsibility associated with the “NJIKO KA” message.

General Ike Nwachukwu (Rtd.), CFR, will serve as chairman of the occasion for the main Tuesday commemoration.

Organisers said the 2026 Igbo Day celebration is expected to bring together Igbo leadership, intellectuals and cultural stakeholders to reflect on the past and discuss shared aspirations for the future.

With “NJIKO KA” as its central theme, the event is also expected to provide a platform for conversations on the development and prosperity of Ala-Igbo, alongside the celebration of Igbo identity and heritage.