According to recent studies by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation, UNESCO, 29 Nigerian minor languages have become extinct, while another 29 minor languages are in danger of extinction.
In addition to the above, the three major languages spoken in the country, Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa risked being extinct according to scholars.
While Hausa language extinction may not seem feasible, scholars raised concerns over the extinction of Yoruba, and Igbo languages. For instance, a language teacher and author of Ede Yoruba ko Gbodo Ku (Yoruba Language Must Not Die), Dahunsi Akinyemi, stated in 2017, that the Yoruba language could die out in 20 years or less, lamenting that many Yoruba children cannot pronounce Mo je jeun’ (I want to eat) in their mother tongue.
A senior lecturer at the University of Benin, Maduabuchi Sennen Agbo, in a write-up titled: “Calls to use Nigerian languages at school are going unheard, “noted that calls for the compulsory teaching of Igbo have not been effectively implemented. He added that not only was there a severe shortage of Igbo teachers and teaching materials, but it also seemed that students were not interested in learning the language.
“They don’t see it as being useful to them. They don’t need a credit pass in the subject to gain admission to a university or to get a job.”
LASU comes to the rescue
However, the Lagos State University, LASU, Ojo, has raised the bar against the dearth of mother tongue in Nigeria by being the first institution to officially make a local language, Yoruba, named GNS 104 compulsory for all her students.
Although there have been legislatures by other states in the country to make their local language compulsory in both basic and secondary education, LASU became the first to make such a proclamation, and also fully implement it at the tertiary level.
Recall that recently, the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, LASU, Prof. T.M Salisu, explained that making Yoruba a compulsory course has the potential to strengthen students’ connections to their roots and promote cultural diversity.
“GNS 104 will not only enhance language proficiency but also encourage a more profound understanding of the Yoruba people, their customs, and traditions,” he stated.
“The Yoruba Language Studies course will cover various aspects of Yoruba culture, including language structure, literature, history, folklore, and contemporary issues.
“It will be open to students from all faculties as part of the General Nigerian Studies (GNS) program, reflecting LASU’s commitment to interdisciplinary learning.”
-Vanguard
