The Vice Chancellor, Ignatius Ajuru University of Education (IAUE) Prof. Okechukwu Onuchuku, has called for positive use of silence as a tool for promoting social change and building a progressive society.
Onuchuku made the call in Port Harcourt on Wednesday at the opening of the 2026 International Conference of the Pragmatics Association of Nigeria (PrAN) holding at the university.
Represented by Prof. Kingdom Orji, former Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, IAUE, the vice-chancellor said that the role of silence in communication could not be over-emphasized.
Speaking on the conference with the theme: “The Pragmatics of Silence” Onuchuku stated that “while speech may be silver, silence remained definitely golden”
“It is important to use this conference to come up with ideas on how to positively harness the potential of silence as a communication tool,” he said.
The President of PrAN, Prof. Pius Akhimien, said that the conference provided a platform for scholarly engagement on the positive use of silence in driving social change.
Akhimien stated that the study of pragmatics had continued to remain strategically relevant in human society.
He described the conference theme as timely and well-conceived, saying that silence carries different meanings across cultures, societies and families.
Also speaking, the conference convener, Prof. Ibiere Ken-Maduako, described the event as an opportunity to explore the communicative significance of silence.
Ken-Maduako, the Dean, Faculty of Humanities at IAUE, said that ‘verbal expression alone was not enough to make meanings in communication’
“Even in silence and blankness, there is meaning. This conference is relevant to scholars of communication and stylistics,” she said.
The Special Guest Speaker, George Izunwa, described silence as a meditative tool capable of enhancing deeper concentration and strengthening communication with God.
Izunwa, the General Overseer, Gateway International Church, Port Harcourt, called for effective use of the power of silence to build spiritual growth.
“Even in prayer, we gain more from listening to God than we do from talking. The truth is that silence before God can provide direction,” Izunwa said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the conference attracted scholars and researchers in linguistics, communication, stylistics, diplomacy and related fields. (NAN)
