Otunba Gani Adams (m), with tradtional rulers at a recent cultural event
Promoter of Olokun festival and national coordinator of pan-Yoruba group, Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), has appealed to Nigerians to ensure that Nigerian indigenous languages be promoted, spoken in schools and home
Gani Adams stated this while speaking on Thursday, October 15, at a lecture to commemorate 2015 edition of Olokun festival. He urged the states and federal governments, as well as parents and guardians to promote the development of Nigeria’s cultural values.
He warned that if steps are not taken by both parents and the government, “one day, we will all wake up and future generations will tell us there is nothing like local dialect.”
“It is sad to see that most young people, encouraged by their parents, do not speak our indigenous languages. In our schools, our children are encouraged to speak, write and use English language.
“This development occasioned by globalization, is threatening the survival of our indigenous languages. Cultural globalization has also negative impact on the number of movies produced by Nigerian Nollywood.
“There are more movies produced in English than those produced in Yoruba or any other Nigerian languages,” he said.
Adams also lamented that globalization has badly affected the use of Nigerian indigenous languages, said some parents do not encourage their wards to speak in local dialect.
On his part, guest lecturer, Dr. Enomhen Omhanke sylvester of the Lagos State University (LASU), said respect for one another’s cultural way of life without recourse to looking down on same will create an atmosphere for cordial co-existence.
“African rich cultural cannot be relegated and the worship of gods and consultation of oracle acceptable ways for them.”
“There may not be any heightened clash if mutual suspicion, relegation, cultural dominance is not allowed to take over other people’s culture,” he added.
