The Registrar, National Examination Council (NECO) Professor Danteni Ibrahim Wushishi, said Literature on mother tongue usage in Nigeria is voluminous beginning from 1843 at Badagry in the first school in Nigeria called School for the infant child and later in 1865 when the Christian Missionary Society CMS established a school at Lokoja and taught in Hausa and Nupe Languages. From then, several researches and theoretical papers have been published on the importance of using Nigeria’s indigenous Languages for Instruction.
Prof Wushishi made this disclosure,when the Director of ILLEC Nupe Language Section Minna Prof Adamu Idris Manarakis led his team on a courtesy visit to NECO Headquarters in Minna, Niger State .
Prof Wushishi eulogized on the basic reason why most African Languages failed as the Colonial Masters overwhelmed the Languages of origin and this basic factor has played a damage role in our lives than it survival.
He affirmed that France and Britain suggested the use of Indigenous Languages in Primary Shools from 1920s. This was not effectively implemented because the aim of Colonial Education was an instrument to serve the European capitalists class in its exploitation of Africa. This trend continued in form of neo-colonialism, imperialism and globalization in this 21st century.
Professor Wushishi while commending the teaching of Nupe Language at ILLEC Centre, COE and some parts of Nupe area stated that “the controversy over mother tongue usage in Science instrument is not only Educational but also political.”
Professor Wushishi added that “Nigeria is a multilingual nation with more than 521 Languages. This creates Language problem. Those in favour of the mother tongue Language policy in the NPE across all levels of Education in Nigeria are always quick at citing emperical evidence about the effectiveness of mother tongue in teaching Science, Technology and Mathematics.”
The Director of ILLEC Adamu Idris Manarakis while appreciating the Registrar of NECO stated that if many First Class (FC) Nigerians has passion in the promotion of our Indigenous Languages like Professor Danteni Ibrahim Wushishi who insisted on the adaption of First Language (L1) to the second Language (L2) by now Nigeria would have been an industrious country like China and other developed countries of the world.
He thereafter, presented Ten Nupe books written by ILLEC including Nupe Newspaper published with the effort of ILLEC to see that the study of Nupe Language in grassroots is not a mare joke.
The director said going by the policy of National Policy on Education NPE, ILLEC is in the proper direction in her anxiety to see that Nupe Language is taught at all levels.
“May God continue to lead us aright in the course of Nupe Language, Amin!” He prayed.
