Language Diplom Acy: Harnessing Igbo Communication Techniques in the Diaspora for Mutual Development

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No fewer than 10 million Igbos are domiciled in the diaspora out of over 40 million of them that are found in the global environment. More than half of the diaspora population of Igbos are found in Western Europe, UK and America. The paper explored language diplomacy to harness Igbo communication techniques in the diaspora for mutual development. It relied on non-survey and non-experimental descriptive research to collect unstructured secondary data which it analyzed qualitatively. Guided by the “Uncertainty Reduction” theoretical framework, the paper revealed that the Igbo in the diaspora are aware of their uncertain future in strange lands. To reduce this uncertainty, the Igbo adopted a unique communication technique that is rooted in twin philosophies of “Onye aghala nwanneya” and “Onuru ube nwanneya agbalaoso”. This survival technique enabled them to interact among themselves, remember and retain their ancestral values of industry and communal living. The paper equally revealed that the Igbo in Western Europe and America through their survival communication strategy have made impressive achievements in entertainment, politics, education, health, banking, business and technology. These achievements have increased the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Total Gross Earning (TGE) of the host nations through immigrant revenue and public services. It equally has increased Nigeria’s revenue base through diaspora remittances. The paper also discovered that Igbo land has not experienced any corporate gain or revenue yield from the achievements of Igbo people in diaspora. It recommended among other things that Igbo Unions, should be established in all diaspora environments, and should affiliate to the Ohaneze Ndi-Igbo socio-cultural organization worldwide, and that Ohaneze should collaborate with Igbo diaspora unions to invest in infrastructural and industrial development of Igbo land. Should this be done, mutual development is assured, not only for the diaspora elements and their families also, the host nations, Nigeria and Igbo land.