All roads lead to Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, on March 3, 2022, when and where Commissioners of Education of South West, as well as those of North Central States of Kwara and Kogi, will meet to rub minds on the state of the Yoruba Language.
Despite the many initiatives to grow their use, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) had, years back, predicted that many languages across the world would go extinct before or by the year 2050. Sadly, Yoruba language is on the list.
There are between 6000 and 7000 languages in the world today, spoken by 7 billion people across 189 independent states. Those nosediving into extinction achieved their unfortunate status by cultural invasion, inferiority complex on the part of the original owners who subjugate their mother tongue to foreign language(s), globalization, ever evolving nature of business, among others.
When they meet at the March 3 parley, the main focus of the Commissioners of Education from the above-mentioned states would be
the protection, preservation and promotion of Yoruba language.
The meeting is the brainchild of the new Yoruba World Centre, a project launched, last November, by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
This meeting, first of its kind in recent times, and which is being held in collaboration with the Oodua Investment Plc and DAWN Commission, would discuss extensively the coming annual Yoruba Language Millionaire Contest among secondary schools in all Yoruba-speaking states.
This, the organisers say, is a bold move to reclaim Yoruba youths hooked to foreign ways of life and return them to their natural ambience in terms of language, culture and other values that define their humanity.
According to thee organisers, the Commissioners will be joined by Chairmen of Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, ALGON, and Chairpersons of Committee on Education in the Southwest, Kwara and Kogi States’ Houses of Assembly.
Other eminent Nigerians scheduled to attend are: the Group Managing Director of Oodua Investment Plc, the Director General of Dawn Commission, and the Coordinator of Yoruba World Centre (as hosts). Also to participate are: the President and Secretary of the Yoruba Secondary School Teachers Association respectively; Egbe Akomolede, the President of Yoruba Studies Association (YSAN);and the Managing Director of University Press Limited.
A statement from Yoruba World Centre reveals: “The Commissioners have pleasure and gladness at the initiative.They are excited that such a gathering to discuss the promotion of the Yoruba language is not only welcome, it is an initiative whose time has come. They are happy that the parley will be a veritable tool for development, nation building, youth empowerment, national unity and peaceful co-existence.”
“The meeting,” the organisers continued, “will serve as a hub for Yoruba language development, where institutional backing shall be given to efforts from scholars and private sectors to the promotion of the widely spoken language, re-establishing it as a language of commerce and development.”
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