…says Hausa language closer to Hebrew than Igbo

By Sebastine Obasi

A notable anthropologist and veteran journalist, Prof. Peter-Jazzy Ezeh, has punctured the notion that the Igbo share ancestry relationship with the Jews, even as he declared that Hausa language is closer to Hebrew than Igbo.

He stated that the Igbo do not have anything whatsoever to do with Jewish ancestral, a position that has been held historically by the Igbo.

Prof. Ezeh disclosed this while delivering a thought-provoking tenth valedictory lecture at the Princess Alexandria Auditorium, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, on Thursday, June 19, 2025, a day also marking his 70th birthday.

In his lecture titled, “Researching Human Sociality in these Post-Truth Days,” challenged prevailing narratives about Igbo ancestry and cultural heritage. He presented compelling evidence to debunk claims of Igbo Jewish ancestry. Ezeh believes the Igbo language has little or no relationship with the Hebrew language, emphasising the importance of evidence-based inquiry amid ongoing debates about cultural identity and heritage.

Ezeh’s speech was both a scholarly tour de force and a clarion call against misinformation surrounding the Igbo people, one of Nigeria’s most vibrant ethnic groups. Citing linguistic studies, he explained that the Igbo language belongs to the Niger-Congo family, while the Hebrew, just like the Hausa, belong to the Afro-Asiatic family of languages.

He further referenced a 2017 DNA study conducted in the United States, which conclusively showed no genetic link between the Igbo and Jewish populations. Beyond linguistic and genetic evidence, Ezeh challenged misconceptions about Igbo cultural institutions, particularly, claims that they are biased against women.

Drawing from extensive research, he affirmed that Igbo society exhibits remarkable gender equity—a fact often overlooked by superficial or sectarian narratives. “In all investigations,” he noted, “the Igbo come out as holding the world’s record for equity in gender relations.”

The lecture also touched on broader themes of cultural misrepresentation and the dangers of “xenomania”—a term coined by Ezeh, to describe an excessive fascination with foreign cultures, which can distort perceptions of one’s own heritage. His insights underscored the importance of critical thinking and scholarly rigour in fostering accurate understanding of human sociality.

Ezeh’s intellectual journey began in journalism before delving into the academia. A former News Editor with the Punch Newspapers, he was selected as the only Nigerian participant in a prestigious 22-nation senior-journalist program organized by the Fondation Journalistes en Europe in the 1980s.

The program aimed to familiarize journalists with Europe’s political and cultural landscape during the early days of the European Union. At the time, Ezeh worked alongside leading journalists, earning admiration for his exceptional performance. When his colleagues favoured conventional projects, Ezeh travelled to the Arctic Circle to investigate cod fishing in Norway’s Lofoten Islands. His goal was to dispel myths about Nigerians’ involvement in stockfish trade, demonstrating his commitment to empirical truth.

His journalism extended internationally, even as he earned a fellowship at Cambridge University’s Wolfson College. In 1996, Austria recognised his contributions by inviting him as a guest editor and a speaker at Sura za Afrika, a cultural festival celebrating African heritage.

As a Social Activist, Eze, in 1985, upon learning that French novelist Claude Simon had won the Nobel Prize, was outraged by the exclusion of African writers. With limited resources, he travelled from Paris to Stockholm to challenge the Swedish Academy.

Although officials claimed representations did not influence decisions, his persistence paid off when Nigerian Wole Soyinka received the Nobel Prize in 1986, a victory Ezeh sees as a triumph against injustice.

Academically, the Don broke new ground as the first Nigerian to study a different glotto-cultural group using participant observation. His PhD research on censorship in Korring mass communication was published in 2003, and he received the Faculty of Social Sciences Prize. He also developed a written orthography for Korring, helping preserve the language spoken in south-Eastern Nigeria.

A festschrift was presented at the event, entitled, “Celebrating Ijele: A festschrift in Honour of Peter-Jazzy Ezeh” an anthology of writings, articles and views on Prof. Ezeh

Ezeh joined University of Nigeria, Nsukka in 1999, as a lecturer in anthropology, inspiring students with his pioneering work and dedication to cultural preservation, until retiring in June 2025.

Dignitaries present at the event were the Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Oguejiofo T. Ujam, represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academics) of the University, Professor Kamoru Olayiwola Usman; former Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Benjamin Chukwuma Ozumba, including Jeff Unaegbu, a Research Fellow in the Institute of African Studies, among others.