Don advocates reintroduction of local languages in schools’ curriculum

The former Vice Chancellor of Sokoto State University, Professor Nuhu Yaqub has called on the Kogi State government to introduce the study of languages of different ethnic groups in the curriculum of primary and secondary schools to avoid the extinction of the local dialects in the state.

Professor Yaqub who is also a former Vice Chancellor of the University of Abuja, made the call while presenting a paper at a public lecture titled “Salvaging Egbira Values and Language from Extinction: What must be done” organized by members of De Noble Club 10, Kogi Central held on Thursday in Okene, Kogi State.

According to him, the teaching and learning of local languages at the primary and secondary school level will encourage inclusivity in the State where an Egbira child can speak Igala language and Okun child can also speak the Egbira language.

“Through the language study programmes in schools in the State, cultural values of the various ethic groups, which must be integrated to sharpen ethnic brotherhood and sisterhood, should also be promoted,” Yaqub said.

Earlier in his speech, the President of De Club 10 Kogi Central Leramoh Abdulrazaq Onivehu, said the idea of staging the public lecture was borne out of the frustration observed by members of the club that, gradually Ebira language is going out of fashion among Ebira people.

Onivehu who lamented that these days parents and guardians concentrate more on speaking the English language to their children instead of their native language, expressed concern that if nothing urgent is being done Ebira Children will grow up without understanding their mother tongue.

He called on the state government to ensure that the federal government policy on education that said a child at the basic level of education should be taught in their mother’s tongue should be revisited and established in primary and junior secondary school levels within Ebiraland.

“Ebiraland constitutes five local government areas, if Ebira is taught in primary school up to junior secondary school level, we will be sure that our children will come out with a good understanding of the language,” he said.

“Parents need to do their own parts while the government will also implement the policy they have established to ensure that these children can speak in their mother’s tongue fluently in line with research that indicated that children learn faster and comprehend better when they were taught in their mother’s tongue.”

The Chairman of the occasion, Isah Ozi-Salami, commended De Club 10 for the public lecture and the choice of the topic, saying there is no better time other than now to create awareness of the gradual extinction of the Ebira language among its people.

He charged parents to prioritise the speaking of the Ebiraland language to their children to enable them to speak and sing in their mother’s tongue.

Engr. Shuaibu Salami, the founder and president of the club while giving brief history of the club, said in 1976 ten young students between the age of 20 to 27 years resolved to embark on a social union then called Club 10 Okengwe as a vehicle for peace, unity, socialization and information dissemination.

He pointed out that in line with the motto of the club ‘Awareness’ they were able to invest heavily in sensitisation programmes to address contemporary issues affecting Kogi central and the entire Kogi state, aside scholarships offered to indigent students on annually.