President Buhari Charges Language Institute To Save Vulnerable Nigerian Languages From Going Into Extinction

President Muhammadu Buhari, has charged the Governing Council and Management of the National Institute for Nigerian Languages, Aba, Abia State to ensure that they save vulnerable Nigerian languages from dying or going extinct.

Recall that about 29 minor Nigerian languages were said to be on the verge of going into extinction. This is even as a 2006 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) report had it that one of the major three Nigerian Languages (Igbo language) would go into extinction in the next 50 years.

But President Buhari at the combined convocation ceremony of the NINLAN, Aba, through the Federal Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu while informing the gathering the recent effort of the federal government in promoting teaching and learning in the local Nigerian languages said it was the reason the federal government recently, during the Federal Executive Council at the Villa, approved a new National Language Policy, making the various mother tongues compulsory medium of instruction from primary one to six.

Adamu who stated the need for the management of NINLAN to higher professionals that would teach the Nigerian languages in the institute lauded what he described as the appreciable number of indigenous languages presently taught in the Institute.

Adamu who was also represented by the Vice Chancellor of the University of Nigeria (UNN), Nsukka, Prof. Charles Igwe said “I also commend the Executive Director and his Management team for securing the approval of the National Commission for Colleges of Education for the Institute to award the National Certificate in Education (NCE).

“This is essential for the professionalization of the teaching of Nigerian languages. I commend you for the relative spread of the languages you offer and urge you to further expand the scope of Nigerian languages you cover in your NCE programme by bringing in and offering more languages from more parts of the country. No language should be left to die.

He said that the recent approval of a new National Language Policy for the country by the Federal Executive Council has created a good opportunity for the Institute to assert its relevance and focus attention on the production of resources and building capacity needed for the realisation of the lofty goals of the National Language Policy.

The Minister urged the Institute’s management to provide his office with “actionable plans for fast-tracking the implementation of the policy.”

In his address, the Chairman of the Institute’s Governing Council, and renowned linguist, Prof. Francis Egbokhare, explained that the Federal Government set up NINLAN in order to solve the dogged problem of inadequacy of teachers of Nigerian languages at all levels of education.

Egbokhare emphasized the need for the Institute to operate fully and properly under the purview of the National Universities Commission as stipulated in its enabling Act – and not merely as any other parastatal of the Federal Ministry of Education.

The Council Chairman lamented the low regard Nigerians have for indigenous languages and the adverse effects that has on the Institute.

He said,” Negative valuation of Nigerian languages by their speakers has translated to the poor attention to NINLAN by the governments and peoples of Nigeria.”

In his Convocation Address, the Executive Director of the Institute, Prof. Obiajulu Emejulu, congratulated the Graduands for having the landmark opportunity of formally graduating and having their certificates from the Institute.

Emejulu used the opportunity to launch the Institute’s first N5bn Endowment Fund aimed at realizing funds for the provision of pressing infrastructural needs of the Institute.

The Convocation was preceded by a Convocation Lecture on “Finalization, Implementation and Sustainability of the Nigerian Language Policy as a Strategy for Retooling Nigeria’s Security and Industrial Development” by the Executive Secretary of the NUC, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed.