Levi IfeanachoNINLAN, UNIZIK, NCCE HEADS CRAVE SUPPORT FOR NINLAN ON INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
The Executive Director, National Institute for Nigerian Languages, Aba, Prof. Ogbonna Onuoha; the acting Vice – Chancellor, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Prof. Carol Arinze – Umeobi, and the Executive Secretary, National Commission for Colleges of Education, Prof. Paulinus Okwelle, have tasked relevant Authorities and stakeholders in Nigerian Languages to support and encourage NINLAN in its efforts at developing and promoting the study of Nigeria’s indigenous languages.
The dons made the appeal in their separate addresses at the Matriculation Ceremony for First Degree, Postgraduate Diploma, Diploma and Certificate Programme students of NINLAN, held at its Permanent Site, in Aba.They want the Institute to be given all necessary financial, administrative and moral support that will help it in successfully pursuing its given mandate as the Apex Institution for teaching, study and research in Nigerian Languages.
Professor Onuoha, the host, believes that Nigeria’s state governors have a crucial role to play in developing the indigenous languages of their states by collaborating with the Aba – based Language Institute for their development. He said: ” Let me appeal to all State Governors and stakeholders to seize the opportunity offered by NINLAN to patriotically develop Nigerian ( indigenous) languages spoken in their states by granting scholarship to their citizens to study their mother tongues in the refresher,
improvement, acculturation, conversion, development and research trainings at NINLAN. The Federal Government has established NINLAN; let the state governors in whose states and regions the Nigerian languages are located and spoken water NINLAN, benefit from it for the educational, social, political, economic and cultural development of their states, peoples and the nation at large.”
The Executive Director believes that with the speakers of various Nigerian Languages being sponsored by their various state Governments to study these languages at NINLAN, it would not take very long to reverse the widespread decline and very low level of indigenous languages among the various language areas . He urged the State Governors to show patriotism by embracing this proposal.
Prof. Onuoha also used the opportunity to list some achievements and pursuits of his Administration: “In my tenure as Executive Director, NINLAN has continued to witness a transformation in both academic and infrastructure areas.To address the grave security concerns posed by our expansive 209.5 – hectare unfenced campus, we have commenced the installation of solar – powered street lights at strategic locations to enhance visibility and safety for staff and students, especially at night. In line with our mandate to serve all parts of the country equitably, the Institute has restructured its faculty formations to reflect the six geopolitical zones of Nigerian languages under our care.We are equally championing technological innovations by developing specialized computer keyboards with indigenous language characters, in partnership with a Chinese technical firm, to support reading, writing, and digital content creation in some Nigerian languages.”
Other unfolding achievements announced by the ED were :
– Pioneering text – to – speech and speech – to – text applications powered by natural language – processing Algorithms.
– NINLAN Nigerian Languages Online ( NNLO) Programme for virtually delivering Certificate and Diploma Programmes both locally and internationally.
— Establishment of Acculturation and Language Acquisition Centres (ALAC) in some Nigeria’s geopolitical zones to serve as hubs for learning and internalising indigenous languages in their natural environments.
– Redesigning of the Acculturation Programme to include the demonstration schools to equip them to examine students in Igbo; Hausa and Yoruba.
The ED expressed profound appreciation to President Bola Tinubu, the Minister of Education, Dr.Tunji Alausa; the Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti; the 6th Governing Council, and the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, whom he described as ” a true benefactor and friend of NINLAN who has adopted the Institute as his pet project.”
On her part, the UNIZIK Vice – Chancellor, represented by Prof. George Onwudiwe, emphasised the strategic relevance of NINLAN in the development of Nigerian languages. She said : ” There are many Nigerian Universities offering degree programmes in various Nigerian Languages. This notwithstanding, the Federal Government thought it fit to establish, in 1993, the National Institute for Nigerian Languages, as the foremost Institution for teaching, research, documentation and coordination of studies in the numerous Nigerian Languages. Its mission… is to equip its products with the knowledge, skill and competence to successfully pursue careers as Nigerian- Languages teachers, translators, media and communication experts and researchers.”
In his address, the Executive Secretary of the NCCE, represented by Dr. Titus Ezeme, commended the NINLAN ED for holding the Matriculation Ceremony and the various other feats his Administration has achieved.
The NCCE boss said: ” The National Institute for Nigerian Languages occupies a strategic place in our educational landscape. In a multilingual country like ours, the teaching and preservation of Nigerian languages are not just academic exercises, but patriotic duties….By embarking on NCE programmes, NINLAN has placed itself at the heart of the teacher education mandate of the NCCE. “
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