By Justice-godfrey Okamgba
For those kids who do not know how to speak their Native Languages, your parents deserve awards. And as for those that think speaking the language lowers their standards, it’s time to be reasonable. What standard are you talking about? Are you Professor Ndubuisi Ekekwe, one of the most sought after gurus in Electrical Design and Management Consulting that I have ever known personally?
Prof. was a village boy with a strong Igbo accent. There are many GREAT MEN too who are making exploits in their various fields. These guys grew up in the viallge; write and speak impeccable ENGLISH. So, I wonder how speaking your native language lowers your personality.
Prince was once like that 10 years ago but he learned the hard way. I can imagine such foolishness been propelled by Erroneous Perception. But the worst combination is not knowing how to speak your language and being poor at the same time. My brother, you cannot afford to be guilty of those two offences. Being completely oblivious that your native language is your identity is not acceptable. It is your Culture that is worth preserving.
Honestly, it’s befuddling to see some parents who are even struggling to make ends meet involved in this mess. What mess? Conversing with their children in English Language at the expense of their dialect.
Many years ago, I thought it was one of those rich syndromes, not knowing that the poor are also guilty of not speaking their own language. This is most common amongst the Igbo parents who raise their kids outside the Southeast of Nigeria. How can your children be strangers in their land? Your language is your pride.
You probably think it was a joke when UNESCO in 2006 listed some native languages that would go extinct in the next 50 years. The IGBO Language is apparently one of those languages that may not survive in the next 50 years.
In my view, the YORUBA and the Hausa nations irrespective of social status communicate with their kids in their native languages. This is something the Igbos must emulate. In fact, this message is for those Igbo parents in Lagos, Abuja, etc. Many of them have failed woefully in preserving their cultural identity.
Foolishly, this pathetic ignorance has even become a thing of showmanship. How can you be boastful of not knowing how to native language? Why would you feel ashamed of speaking your native language?.
Ironically, the owners of that English Language do not speak yours. That reminds me if you have been struggling to be admitted into any NIGERIAN UNIVERSITY just apply for Igbo language as a course. Nobody will deny you admission. The DEPARTMENT OF IGBO Language is almost usually empty. This is not the same as the Department of English Studies .
“I am very well-traveled and Africans are the only people I know, who take pride in speaking a foreign language with a PERFECT ACCENT, even when they can’t speak their native language. A LOAN is not your MONEY!,” says Reno Omokri, a former aide to President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan
As a matter of urgency, Igbo parents residing in the cities I mentioned earlier must start conversing with their children in their native language. This must start from cradle. If you cannot guarantee this little assignment in the long term, send your kids to the village during holidays. Let them go and mingle with the relatives in the village. They will learn how to speak and it will definitely be part of them throughout their lifetime
The Igbo Language faces an imminent threat of going extinct in NIGERIA, should parents continue to discourage their children from speaking the language. Let us not fold our hands and watch our culture and values go into extinction.