NIGERIA LOSES NATIVE LANGUAGES

Wake up call, isn't it? But who is surprised ? The whole clamour for western education,western values and even culture is fast eroding our history and those things we should be uniquely proud of.According to Next,as many as six Nigerian languages - Ajawa,Basa-Gumna and Teshenewa are gone for good,while Bete,Fali and Holma have fared slightly better; Bete has 4 speakers left - all aged !

We may brush this off as insignificant, but simple casual observation, especially of the Yoruba tribe should justify fears in this regard. You know the Yorubas happen to be the most exposed to western education in Nigeria.Already dialects like Ijebu,Egun and others that used to be commonplace in the cities several years ago have virtually become for the rurals only. Even the general Yoruba language has become so bastardised that sometimes it's really no different from English. Evidence ? Watch some Yoruba movies !

Obviously the Hausas are still well in touch with their roots in this regard (didn't you observe their transistors permanently on BBC Hausa service ?), but my Ibo brothers are really not too far off from the amala eaters.Visit Alaba or Idumota and hear the cacophony of Ibo-glish or Engl-Ibo and you'll be amazed.

The greatest danger is with our youths whose educational curricula do not help at all. Maybe the government should find a way of including the native language of the areas where every primary and secondary school is located in the schools' teaching plan.And let's converse more with our kids at home, in our native dialect that is .