The Enugu State Government has welcomed a $125,000 grant from the United States Government for the conservation, digital documentation and physical preservation of the historic iron-smelting site in Lejja, Nsukka Local Government Area of the state.
The grant agreement was signed on Thursday, August 20, 2026, at the National Museum, Lagos, as part of the United States Consulate’s support for the Nchekwaba Project, being implemented by the Centre for Memories, an organisation dedicated to the preservation of the history and culture of the Igbo people.
Representing the Enugu State Governor, Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, at the ceremony, the Deputy Governor, Barr. Ifeanyi Ossai, described the grant as a significant milestone in efforts to preserve and promote the state’s rich cultural heritage.
Ossai said the Enugu State Government was proud to support the partnership, noting that the preservation of the Lejja archaeological site would require sustained collaboration among government, heritage institutions, development partners and the local community.
He disclosed that the state government was already preparing an executive bill to be forwarded to the Enugu State House of Assembly, which would provide a legal framework for the protection, preservation and administration of the historic site.
According to him, the legislative initiative reflects the Mbah administration’s commitment to ensuring that Enugu’s cultural assets are not only preserved but also properly managed as important components of the state’s identity and heritage.
The Deputy Governor also emphasised the need for the people of Lejja to remain at the centre of the preservation process, stressing that their knowledge, participation and ownership would be critical to the long-term sustainability and resilience of the project.
“Safeguarding the Lejja site requires sustained collaboration among government, heritage institutions and, most importantly, the community. The people of Lejja must remain at the heart of the preservation process, as their knowledge and participation will be central to the site's long-term sustainability and resilience,” he said.
Ossai further noted that the Nchekwaba Project would provide an opportunity to properly document the historical significance of Lejja and make its story accessible to a wider audience in Nigeria and around the world.
He expressed the appreciation of Governor Mbah and the people of Enugu State to the United States Government for the grant, assuring the Centre for Memories of the state government’s continued collaboration in the implementation of the project.
“On behalf of our Governor, Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, we appreciate the US Government for the grant, and we assure the Centre for Memories of our collaboration to ensure that the story of Lejja is properly preserved, documented and shared with the world,” he said.
The historic Lejja iron-smelting site is regarded as an important archaeological and cultural heritage site, with evidence pointing to the community’s long-standing tradition of iron production. The intervention is expected to strengthen efforts to conserve the site while documenting its historical and cultural significance for future generations.
The partnership marks another step towards positioning cultural heritage preservation as an integral part of development, education, tourism and identity-building in Enugu State.
