Worried by the threat of extinction of Igbo language, Igbo Women Assembly, IWA, has announced scholarship for students willing to study Igbo language at the University of Lagos, UNILAG.
The measure, according to the group, is part of efforts to avoid the rumoured plan to shut down Igbo Department of the university for lack of students; and promote the use of Igbo language as a major global means of communication.
National President of IWA, Lolo Nneka Chimezie, who addressed a press conference in Umuahia, Abia State, appealed to Igbo youths and students to show interest in their mother tongue.
The IWA President who said that the group had already established seven schools in Lagos where Igbo language is taught, said that anyone willing to study Igbo language at UNILAG should contact IWA for sponsorship.
She regretted that majority of young Igbo mothers do not like communicating with their children in Igbo land, a sad development, she said, posed existential threat to the language.
According to her, if no urgent measures were taken to revive and promote the use of Igbo land in daily communications among the people, the language may go into total extinction in about 10 years time.
She said: ” A recent research has shown that Igbo language is already at stage 8 of the 11 stages for any language to go into extinction.
” It’s disheartening that present young Igbo mothers no longer speak Igbo to their children. About 80 % of these children don’t even understand Igbo any more.
” It’s inferiority complex that makes them speak English to their children instead of Igbo. This ugly trend will kill our language if we keep quiet.
” The English people travelled all the way from Europe to force their own language on us. Who tells you that our language is not good? It’s all scam! Their language isn’t better. We should be proud of our mother tongue otherwise, it will die in our hands.”
The IWA President said that the group had perfected arrangements to celebrate this year’s United Nations Mother Tongue Day in Owerri on February 21.
She further said that the group was mulling other options including the use of legislation through the State Houses of Assembly in South East to promote the use of Igbo language.
” We want to attack this menace with laws”, she said, while appealing to lawmakers, religious leaders and other stakeholders in the South East to join the crusade.
The IWA President further advocated a return to the era of agricultural revolution championed by the late Premiere of the defunct Eastern Region Dr Michael Okpara, to revamp the economy of South East.
She decried the growing starvation and deplorable economic situation in the region, blaming it on lack of interest in farming.
The IWA President also urged Ndigbo abroad to start investing in Igbo land to help discourage further migration of Igbo youths.
” Things have fallen apart in Igbo land because women no longer have interest in agriculture. We want to revive the resilience spirit of the Igbo women.
” We also want our men to begin to invest at home. We want them to develop and industrialise South East to stop this mass exodus of our youths.
When youths have meaningful jobs at home they will stop running away to foreign lands.”
She said that IWA had embarked on an advocacy to persuade Igbo importers to transit from importation to production, arguing that if South East were industrialised, the zone could regain its enviable position in the days of Okpara when it was rated the fastest growing economy in the whole world.
The IWA President who was flanked by other members of the group’s executive, commended the Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu-led Ohanaeze Ndigbo over its efforts to promote unity among Ndigbo, acknowledging that the group enjoys very cordial relationship with Ohanaeze.
She called Ndigbo to unite and advance their cause.
IWA which was founded by Chief Mrs Maria Okwor, has been on the vanguard of advocacy for Igbo unity and advancement.
WaWa News Global