In a bid to revive
the Igbo language and culture, the Anambra State governor Peter Obi, at
a very colourful ceremony on Wednesday, laid the foundation stone for
the establishment of a centre in Awka where Igbo language and culture
will be taught.
Speaking at the
occasion, the governor said the establishment of the centre was driven
by the need to save the Igbo language from extinction. He said the
state government was, therefore, taking every necessary step to restore
the language, which he described as a language of a great people.
“It’s the language
of a great people who have contributed to the progress of Nigeria in
every facet. We want to do things that will recall to memory the
gallant contributions of our past heroes like the late F.C. Ogbalu. It
is necessary for the Igbo to go back to their roots and identify with
their language and culture,” Mr Obi stated.
He said it was in
line with the government’s resolve to promote its core values and
acknowledge the contributions of its prominent citizens, which led
Anambra to name its first library after the one built in 1966 in the
memory of the late Kenneth Dike.
Mr Obi said that
the state government would henceforth give a yearly scholarship to the
three best students of the Igbo language, as well as organise an annual
quiz in Igbo, with the first three winners receiving cash rewards of
N200,000, N150,000 and N100,000, respectively.
Sustaining Igbo values
Mr Obi also
announced the donation of a vehicle to the centre to facilitate its
work and made another donation of half a million naira to the wife of
the late Ogbalu, who lived and died for the promotion of Igbo language
and culture.
“It is time to
celebrate core values, not to divide and share money. Our children must
be taught these values to steer them on the right path. We must
celebrate such values and people and stop celebrating madness,” Mr Obi
said.
The chairman of
the Igbo language committee, Pita Ejiofor, told NEXT in an interview
that the centre, when completed, will have such features as a library,
a classroom for language learning and another classroom for extramural
programmes.
“Admission is by
application and the only requirement is ignorance in the speaking and
writing of the Igbo language,” Mr Ejiofor stated. According to him, the
programmes at the centre will run for both two weeks and six months, at
the end of which a diploma would be issued.
He also said the
importance of the ceremony would not be understood now but much later
and noted that the Igbo language has been resurrected from the dead by
the establishment of this centre.
The event also witnessed the formation a committee to run the
centre under the chairmanship of Mr Ejiofor, who was a former vice
chancellor of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Awka.
