Aloysius Attah, Onitsha
It was all pomp recently when the director of the Confucius Institute at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Prof. Job Yu Zhangbao, bagged a chieftaincy title.
Zhangbao was honoured with the title Ezi Oyi 1 (Reliable Friend) of Ndigbo (UNIZIK) during the Oji Ofo Cultural Festival organised by the Students Union Government (SUG), in conjunction with Spines Communication.
The SUG president, Joseph Okafor, noted that the Chinese director of the Confucius Institute had rendered outstanding service to the university.
Okafor lauded Yu’s excellent human relations, noting that the Chinese Institute had fostered a synergy between China and Nigeria in terms of culture and knowledge.
He reiterated the commitment of the union to promoting Igbo language and culture through its activities.
Igbo culture, he said, dated back to the Biblical ages, from the biblical patriarch Eri, the son of Gad the son of Jacob also known as Israel. He emphasised that promotion of Igbo language and culture brings unity to hitherto diversified Igbo lingual communities.
Zhangbao, who expressed his delight at the recognition, said the institute had been quite beneficial to UNIZIK.
“This title is recognition of the contribution of the Chinese staff of the Confucius Institute at Nnamdi Azikiwe University to the growth of the Nigeria-China relations. I am so happy to become a red cap chief (Ezi Oyi Nke Mbu na Unizik ). The red cap is not for me; it is for all the Chinese teachers who are working at the Confucius Institute. It is a testament to their modest contribution to the effort to foster intercultural harmony across the Indian Ocean.
“The Confucius Institute at Nnamdi Azikiwe, Awka, Anambra State was established in June 2008 under a partnership between the university and Xiamen University, Fujian Province, China. Our institute has produced more than 15,000 alumni. More than 10,000 of the alumni are working as translators, interpreters, managers, public relations consultants, company supervisors, teachers, etc. in Nigeria, South Africa and Ghana.
“Some are working as middle or top-level cadres in multinational corporations. More than 300 of our alumni have studied in China on different Chinese scholarships. More than 40 of the number have got or are pursuing a PhD in China.
“More than 2,000 students sat HSK this year. This number is staggering. We presented 1,000 eligible applicants for this year’s scholarships, but only 134 were accepted. The reason was obvious: accepting all our 1,000 applicants would have denied other Africans the opportunity to also study in China.
He said one of the students, Anthony Ekwensi, who at the time had studied Chinese for only 18 months, emerged the African champion and the No. 4 in the world at the 2018, “Chinese Bridge” Competition that took place in China. He stated that Ekwensi had been offered a master’s degree scholarship in China.
“Also last year, another alumnus, Mr. Harford Michael, who is now pursuing a PhD in China, emerged the world champion at the “Contest in China of Chinese Teaching for Candidates of Master Degree”. He beat native speakers in that competition. UNIZIK’s CI has won the “Award for Excellent Confucius Institute in the World” two times, in 2015 and in 2017.”
A deputy director at the institute, Dr. Anas Elochukwu, said Yu had set three records with his chieftaincy title.