The State Head, National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), Gombe Office, Mr. Yahaya Sanda, has challenged Nigerians to discard what he termed, neo-colonial mentality of relegating Nigerian indigenous languages to second class status, by embracing speaking their mother tongues with their wards at home, as a way of safeguarding our endangered indigenous languages.
Sanda said this on Monday, 8th August, 2016, at the opening ceremony of the 4th edition of the long vacation Nigerian Indigenous Language Programme (NILP) organised by the Institute at the State Office of National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), opposite ATC, Kasuwan Mata, Gombe, Gombe State.
The NICO Gombe State Head cited an instance with Gombe town, where most people of Fulani extraction cannot speak Fulfulde language proficiently; and he therefore called on them to seize the opportunity being provided annually by the Institute to come with their wards and register to learn Fulfulde, since the programme is free.
Speaking in the same vein, the Acting Head of Orientation and Cultural Affairs Unit, NICO Gombe, Mr. Boniface Pam, implored the participants to exhibit enthusiasm and put their best throughout the duration of the vacation programme, because it is only through that they can maximize the gains of their participation.
He commended the Management of NICO for making the programme free; adding that as such, money cannot in anyway be an impediment to the realization of the objective of creating a sense of pride in people learning Nigerian indigenous languages in order to safeguard them for posterity.
The Nigerian Indigenous Language Programme (NILP) this year will feature Fulfulde and Hausa languages.
Kimna Paah
Corporate Affairs Unit
NICO, Gombe