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Nigeria indigenous languages going extinct – Lai Mohammed Mr Olumide The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has raised alarm over the gradual extinction of Nigeria's languages because of preference of use of English Language as medium of communication. He stated this at a Two-Day Annual Round Table on Cultural Orientation (ARTCO), held in Kaduna yesterday. According to Lai Mohammed, it is very sadden that some youths in Nigeria today cannot expressed compliments in their local dialect, because they are used to foreign language that is gradually becoming another international colonization force. The Minister lamented that this trend is not limited to the youths alone, but amongst educated people in the country; saying, in the hall he's sure that very few people can recite basic alphabets in their language. "Even the journalists who are here and are going to passed this message across to the whole world are guilty of this because ask them the names of some birds and animals that they see on daily basis in their local languages, they'll not be able to tell you. So we're all in this dilemma and it is time to wake up and rescue our mother tongue," he said. In his own remarks, the Executive Secretary, National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), Professor Barclays Foubiri Ayakoroma said Nigerians especially the younger generation should patronize their languages because it will enhance their understanding of it and at the same time boost culture. "It is common knowledge that many of our indigenous languages are endangered. Many local languages are already going into extinction due mainly to our preference to use English language as the medium of communication. This has also affected our culture, negatively as language is a major vehicle for the transmission of culture. "The round table provides a veritable platform to work out strategies to enhance the potential indigenous language newspapers, in order for them to serve as catalysts for cultural renaissance and grassroots mobilization. "This is in order to generate recommendations that would impact on government policies and programmes as well as general actions by the citizenry," he said. Source: People's Daily Mr Olumide's Blog The post Nigeria indigenous languages going extinct – Lai Mohammed appeared first on Mr Olumide's Blog. kk