SPEAK YOUR MOTHER TONGUE ALWAYS: DON CHARGES IGBO FAMILIES

The 49th Inaugural lecturer of the Abia State University, Uturu, Roseline Ihuoma Ndimele, Professor of Linguistic, has charged Igbo families, all over the world, to always use their mother tongue (Igbo) as the major communication language, especially within the family domain, and Igbo ceremonies, to rescue the language from going into extinction.

Delivering her lecture on the topic, "Rescuing the Igbo Language from Extinction: The family and language maintenance" the University Don, called on Government through the relevant ministries and agencies, to monitor the implementation of the National policy on education, especially the section that recommends the use of mother tongue as the language of instruction in primary education.

According to Professor Ndimele, speaking Igbo language always and making it the major communication language in the family no matter the place of residence, within or outside the country, will sustain its transmission from one generation to the other, and contribute to the development of the Igbo culture.

She maintained that, "The loss of a language, results in the loss of a people's history", blaming parents who prefer to transmit the other language, English, as mother tongue to their children, to the detriment of Igbo, for the gradual disappearance of the language, calling on them to urgently retrace their steps, by using the Igbo language for conversation and instruction in their homes.

Earlier in his remarks, the Chairman on the occasion, and Vice Chancellor, Distinguished Professor E. Uche Ikonne, explained that Abia State University is one of the first Institutions to establish a thriving center for Igbo studies as a way of promoting the Igbo culture and language, and expressed worry on the negative effect of urbanization on the Igbo culture, hoping that the Inaugural lecture will stimulate positive actions among parents to speak and teach the language to their children, in order to keep the it alive.

Professor Ikonne stated that Inaugural lectures are end points of many years of academic research in a particular subject, that is geared towards solving human problems, and his administration has encouraged and promoted this academic effort, by supporting and giving Professors of different fields of study the platform to tell the world the contents of their research in layman's language, and how such knowledge contributes to solving societal problems.

He described the University under his watch, as a thriving center for research activities; resulting in the attraction of sponsorship for 38 (Thirty eight) research topics by TETFund in 2018, and 43 (forty three) topics in 2019, the highest any University in Nigeria has received, and congratulated the Inaugural lecture for choosing a subject that is germane to the survival of the Igbo nation, particularly in these times.

In a vote of thanks, the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Administration, and Chairman, Ceremonial Committee, Professor O.M Ogbulu, thanked the Vice Chancellor for his commitment in promoting academism in the University through the Inaugural Lectures, and other areas, while congratulating the Lecturer for her excellent delivery and contributions in developing the Igbo culture through her other works.

The high point of the event was the admittance of the Inaugural Lecturer, into the family of "Distinguished Professors" and presentation of gifts by various groups.