As we stand at the threshold of a new year, I extend my warmest greetings to every member of the Ejagham Traditional (EjT) family and indeed Ejagham sons and daughters across our homeland and the diaspora. The passing year has reminded us of the power of unity, the strength of shared purpose, and the resilience of a people determined to preserve and elevate their heritage.
In 2025, we walked together. In 2026, we rise together.
Our journey since 2018 has been guided by a clear strategy: to Document, Digitalise, and Disseminate Ejagham Traditional Practices and Cultural Expressions. This strategy remains our compass as we step into a new year filled with opportunities, responsibilities, and promises.
Ejagham Bakor: Ancestral Amulet passed from one Ntol to another
Gratitude for the Year Behind Us
To everyone who contributed time, ideas, resources, and encouragement in 2025, I say with deep appreciation: Ekup na Nkad/Gafol – Thanks you from the bottom of my heart.
Your engagement, whether through the Ejagham Calendar, Our Blog, the Flora and Fauna series, the Ejagham Language Curriculum Development (ELCD) efforts, or our fundraising initiatives, has strengthened the foundation upon which we will build the future.
The approval of Revised Ejagham Language Orthography (RELO), the progress of the ELCD, and our first-ever external grant award are not just organisational milestones. They are collective victories for the Ejagham people. They affirm that our culture, language, and identity are worthy of preservation, investment, and global recognition.
Ejagham Bakor: Irong Alib (Water Pot)
Looking Ahead with Purpose
The new year calls us to deepen our commitment and broaden our participation. Our Triple‑D strategy remains our guiding light, and its success depends on each of us.
In 2026, we will:
- Strengthen the ELCD and accelerate its completion
- Expand our digital documentation of Ejagham knowledge systems
- Grow our community engagement through storytelling, research, and cultural education
- Advance our fundraising efforts to support long-term sustainability
- Build stronger bridges across Ejagham communities worldwide
This is our shared responsibility. This is our shared legacy.
Ejagham Bakor: Okuta
Together, We Go Further
As the dawn of a new year rises upon us, may it find the Ejagham nation standing tall, united in purpose, and steadfast in spirit. Today, we lift our voices not only in celebration, but in solemn remembrance of who we are and what binds us together.
We affirm before our ancestors and before the generations yet unborn that Ejagham was one people before the colonial boundary, and remains one people beyond it. No line drawn across our forests and rivers can sever the ties of kinship, memory, and destiny that have bound our communities for centuries. Our unity is not an act of defiance, it is the rightful inheritance of our forebears, and the sacred obligation of our time.
Ejagham Qua: Okpere, decorated with Nsibidi
As we step into this new season, let us carry forward the spirit of collaboration that has guided our journey. Let us remember that the preservation of our language, our culture, and our identity is not the burden of a few, but the solemn duty of all.
May this new year pour upon EjT and the entire Ejagham nation renewed strength, deeper unity, and greater achievements. May it awaken in every son and daughter of Ejagham the resolve to protect our heritage, heal the wounds of imposed division, and advance together as one people, one heritage, one future.
Happy New Year.
Ekup na Nkad/Gafol.
Ntufam Engr. Chris Anom CEng, CMarEng, FIMarEST
President, EjT