A Chinese Professor, identified as Professor Job Yu Zhangbao bagged an Igbo chieftaincy title.
Zhangbao was honored with an Igbo Chieftaincy, titled ‘Ezi Oyi I’ which means ‘Reliable Friend’ in English.
Professor Job Yu Zhangbao is the Director of the Confucius Institute at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka
The title was given by an Igbo ethnic socio-cultural group, Oji-Ofor Igbo, Anambra State, during the Oji-Ofor Cultural Festival hosted by the Oji-Ofor Cultural Group in Awka, Anambra State.
With the new title, the Chinese Professor has been inducted into the Igbo chieftaincy institution.
This new Chieftaincy title bestowed upon the Professor makes him the first Chinese academic and cultural ambassador to become a chief in Nigeria.
Also he will go down in history as the first Chinese to become a traditional title holder (chief) in southern Nigeria.
The Students Union Government (SUG) President, Joseph Okafor, said the Chinese Director of the Confucius Institute at Nnamdi Azikiwe University has rendered outstanding services to the university and Igbo people in general.
Zhangbao said: “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 in Igbo land, Nigeria. 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.
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“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.
“21 students from our CI sat the advanced HSKK (Oral Examination this year. Their pass rate was 100%. The pass rate and the total number of those who passed the examination were the highest in the world. A total of 22 students from the 528 Confucius Institutes in 146 countries sat for the examination.”