About 10 Nigerian lan
guages are likely to go extinct if necessary steps are not taken to promote the study of indigeneous languages in Nigerian schools.
The Executive Secretary, “Rivers State Readers Project,” Dr Tony Enyia made this known in his presentation at a two-day training workshop on the development of Rivers State Languages Orthographies manual in Port Harcourt, recently.
Quoting the figure from the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)  report, Dr Enyia noted that the threat on the languages is warranted by the over-emphasis on English Language, which is a secondary language to Nigerians.
Though the exact languages were not mentioned, Dr Enyia stated under the heading,  “said prediction for Nigeria”, that “if bold steps are not taken, I assure you many (Nigerian) indigenous languages will die.
He continued that “UNESCO has even reported that about 10 Nigerian languages could die before the next decade.
“The report … is correct because many of our children these days don’t know how to speak their mother-tongues,” he said.
Taking a cue from the emphasis laid on the study of indigenous languages, the Rivers State Readers project scribe quoted international advocacy from Asia.
“Learning in one’s native tongue should not be seen as weakness, but can lead to higher independent thought … many of the team behind India’s first and successful moon mission had done a large part of their academic learning in their native tongue”, he quoted.
He also quoted the forum of experts in Nigeria indigenous languages, among whom is the chairman, Board of Directors of the publishing house, Dr Lekan Are.
“Failure being recorded now in the various examinations (West Africa Examination Council (WAEC), National Examination Council (WAEC), National Examination Council (NECO), Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) etc were unhead off way back when children only came in contact with foreign language when they were 6 years old and above”, he quoted Dr Are.
He continued that Dr Are canvassed that children be taught their mother-tongue to a certain age before they became exposed to a foreign  language as the only panacea to the children learning problems.
Dr Enyia also blamed children’s inability to speak their mother-tongue on parents who think it elitist for their children to speak only in English rather than their mother-tongue.

Sogbeba Dokubo