Elizabeth Osayande
Lagos state university’s decision raises ripples in Nigeria, yet 36 US universities have Yoruba as a subject
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.”
Lagos state University bold step
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.”
Divergent opinions over LASU’s decision to make Yoruba a compulsory course
The decision of the Lagos State University, LASU, Ojo to make the Yoruba Language a compulsory course for all her students, has continued to raise dust. While many applaud the decision, noting that it will foster cultural identity, and promote Nigerian ingenuity. Others have questioned the rationale behind the move, considering that students from other ethnic groups also seek admission to the school.
Reacting to the move, some scholars under the platform of the Institute of African Diaspora Studies, IADS, University of Lagos, UNILAG, Akoka, share their thoughts on the above.
A Professor of Literary and Cultural Studies, Department of English, UNILAG, Prof. Patrick Oloko has this to say: “Students will still choose LASU and find their ways around the Yoruba language as a course, precisely the way that our children are getting A1 in mathematics without knowing the answer to 1+1.
“The opportunities that a language holds make it more attractive for learners than the authoritarian legislation of university administrators. You do not quench thirst with laws. The Yoruba language has already carved out its niche. It does not require the lobby of politicians to grow. It is already growing.”
But a strong supporter of LASU’s decision is the Managing Director, Flow Communications Company, Mrs. Florence Ifechukwude Okah-Avae, who explained that the move should be encouraged and that other institutions of higher learning should follow suit.
“I think introducing our indigenous languages to the curriculum is a welcome development. Here we are learning Chinese and other foreign languages. Many of our children travel to other countries and learn their indigenous language while studying their courses of choice. Such languages are not so useful to them outside of those countries.
“The essence of going to school is to learn. Anybody can learn anything. We struggled with some courses and did well with others as undergraduates. As a Literary Student, I struggled with Mathematics as a GNS course but made a pass mark to proceed.
“We are at the point of using indigenous languages for instruction. So let us encourage this laudable innovation. I sincerely hope other universities will follow LASU’s steps.”
Is the decision well thought out? Does this give consideration to students from other ethnic group?
Raphael Lasisi, who countered the position of Mrs. Okah-Avae explained that:” Those countries make the teaching of their language easy and attractive. Learning in Nigeria is so tiring and frustrating for an adult to learn a new language in just one year and know it so well and pass.”
Making local languages compulsory by state universities is a good but with hidden agenda – Shehu Sani
Human Rights Activist, Comrade Shehu Sani has said that making local languages compulsory by State Universities, is a good idea packaged with a hidden agenda.
The former federal lawmaker who represented Kaduna Central Senatorial District in the 8th Senate stated this against the backdrop of the inclusion of Yoruba Language as a compulsory course for all students by Lagos State University said it will achieve the twin goals of promoting local languages and driving away non-indigenes who are not interested in learning any new language other than their own. Shehu Sani who disclosed this via X, (formerly Twitter) said thus: “State Universities making local languages compulsory will achieve the twin goals of promoting local languages and driving away non-indigenes who are not interested in learning any new language other than their own. A good agenda packaged with a hidden agenda.”
Does the support this action? What is the implication of enforcing any of the three major indigenous languages, namely: Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa.
Established policies which support the idea
A senior lecturer at the University of Benin, Maduabuchi Sennen Agbo, in an elaborate write-up on the platform of theconversation.com mentioned some policies that support the speaking and teaching of Nigerian major indigenous languages across the country.
Some key point noted are: “The 1999 Nigerian Constitution is one of the documents that promote the use of Nigerian languages. It refers to the need to use indigenous languages in all state houses of assembly and to use Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba in the National Assembly. Secondly “The 1988 cultural policy makes statements about the essential role of language in the transmission and preservation of cultural values. The Nigerian Broadcasting Code makes it mandatory for some programming to be done in indigenous languages.
Also “The National Policy on Education considers the teaching of Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba in all schools to be a necessity for national unity. It stipulates that children should initially be taught in
The challenge of practice
“Calls for the compulsory teaching of Igbo have not been effectively implemented, however. Not only is there a severe shortage of Igbo teachers and teaching materials, but it also seems that students are 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.
Competing languages and identities
“Nigerian Pidgin is used more widely than any of the three major languages. It is spoken across all ethnic groups and is easily accepted for its perceived neutrality. Pidgin is used in all forms of media and all spheres of national life. Nigeria has radio stations that use Pidgin exclusively, and the British Broadcasting Corporation has a Pidgin language service.
“The various calls for the promotion of indigenous languages are not unconnected with the idea of maintaining ethnic identity in the face of multiculturalism and globalisation. In Nigerian political and social life, ethnic considerations overrule the national interest. Language is the most potent form of identity politics in Nigeria. So the promotion and greater use of Igbo or any indigenous language may have political tones.
International development around Yoruba language
While the Lagos State University, LASU decision to make Yoruba language a compulsory course has continued to raise ripples, findings revealed that Yoruba has been taken as a course in 36 universities in the United States of America, USA. in a recent article it is stated that about 47 American Universities, spread across the United Sates of America. now teach and embrace Yoruba in the school curriculum. The article goes on to say: “The above development implies that, if appropriate, sufficient and timely care is not taken, foreign teachers would have to be recruited from overseas to teach Yorùbá to future generations of Yorùbá children in their motherland.”
The way forward
“If governments in Nigeria want to counteract the growing dominance of English and Pidgin, they will do well to use indigenous languages in government business. For example, they could be used in reading the yearly budget speech, giving state broadcasts, and performing other important government functions in the judiciary and legislature. The Lagos State House of Assembly does sometimes conduct its proceedings in the Yoruba language.
“These efforts should be supported with budgets to produce teaching and learning materials for education. Students interested in studying these languages at advanced institutions of learning should be given full scholarships. Making a credit pass in a Nigerian language compulsory for university admission would enhance the prestige of these languages in education.
“In making pronouncements about the compulsory teaching and learning of native languages, government and people must help create the enabling socio-cultural milieu for the promotion of the language. Otherwise, the latest call will just be ignored – as previous ones have been.”
*Elizabeth Osayande is a journalist. This Solutions feature is supported by the Africa Foundation for Young Media Professionals under the Women in Journalism Fellowship, 2023 Cohort.
