By signing into law on February 8 a legislation known as the Yoruba Language Preservation and Promotion Law, Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode demonstrated exemplary cultural consciousness and cultural conviction. The beauty of this new law is that it puts indigenous language on the front burner.
By this move, the Ambode administration has shown that it is in tune with current international thinking on indigenous languages. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) observes: “Languages are the most powerful instruments of preserving and developing our tangible and intangible heritage. All moves to promote the dissemination of mother tongues will serve not only to encourage linguistic diversity and multilingual education but also to develop fuller awareness of linguistic and cultural traditions throughout the world and to inspire solidarity based on understanding, tolerance and dialogue.”
The Lagos State House of Assembly had passed the bill in October 2017, after a process that involved input by stakeholders. The law is therefore a product of agreement between the legislative and executive arms of government on what should be done to preserve and promote Yoruba language, which is the main language in the state. It is believed that “in present-day Nigeria there are over 40 million Yoruba primary and secondary language speakers as well as several other millions of speakers outside Nigeria.”
It was a notable coincidence that the law arrived when an influential populariser of Yoruba culture was preparing to depart. It is noteworthy that Prof. Akinwunmi Isola who died on February 17, aged 78, participated in the process that resulted in the language policy.
In a paper by Isola at the Yoruba Summit organised by the Lagos State House of Assembly in June 2016, he shared his thoughts on the subject, ‘Making the Teaching of Yoruba Compulsory in Public and Private Schools in Lagos State.’ Isola, who was represented by Professor Duro Adeleke of the University of Ibadan, had argued: “We should speak Yoruba in our institutions. Yoruba is one of the languages recommended to be taught in our schools to promote unity and it occupies a prominent position among languages in the world. If you lose your language, you will lose your culture. The language of a people has to do with their culture, dresses, hairstyle and some other things.”
Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi noted in a tribute: “Prof. Isola was an unabashed believer in the promotion of the Yoruba language, which he once demonstrated by being the first person to deliver a university convocation lecture in Yoruba at the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State, which was very unconventional.”
Another striking coincidence: The Yoruba Language Preservation and Promotion Law arrived in the same month that the world celebrated International Mother Language Day 2018 on February 21. This special day has been observed “every year since February 2000 to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism.” The theme this year was “Linguistic diversity and multilingualism count for sustainable development.”
Commissioner for Information and Strategy Kehinde Bamigbetan shed light on the law, saying Yoruba language “has become mandatory for all candidates seeking admission into our tertiary institutions.” According to a report, “He said anyone seeking admission into the Lagos State University, Lagos State Polytechnic, Michael Otedola College of Primary Education, Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, Lagos State School of Nursing and Lagos State College of Health Technology, among others must have credit in Yoruba language.” The law makes it compulsory for all primary and secondary schools – private or public – in the state to teach Yoruba Language as a core subject at all levels.
Furthermore, the law stipulates that “all state-owned tertiary institutions are to incorporate the use of Yoruba Language in their General Studies (GNS) courses.” Other highlights: The language will be an acceptable means of communication in business and government, and all laws will be translated into Yoruba language.
There is no doubt that there will be problems to be solved as the law takes effect. It is important to focus on the advantages. UNESCO notes: “To foster sustainable development, learners must have access to education in their mother tongue and in other languages. It is through the mastery of the first language or mother tongue that the basic skills of reading, writing and numeracy are acquired. Local languages, especially minority and indigenous, transmit cultures, values and traditional knowledge, thus play an important role in promoting sustainable futures.”
The UN specialised agency is expected to know what it is talking about. UNESCO’s position supports the Yoruba Language Law. The organisation says: “Languages, with their complex implications for identity, communication, social integration, education and development, are of strategic importance for people and planet. Yet, due to globalisation processes, they are increasingly under threat, or disappearing altogether. When languages fade, so does the world’s rich tapestry of cultural diversity. Opportunities, traditions, memory, unique modes of thinking and expression — valuable resources for ensuring a better future — are also lost.”
The organisation also states: “At least 43% of the estimated 6000 languages spoken in the world are endangered. Only a few hundred languages have genuinely been given a place in education systems and the public domain, and less than a hundred are used in the digital world.”
It takes a thinking political administrator to grasp the cultural dimension of the pursuit of socio-economic development. By paying attention to the preservation and promotion of Yoruba language, Ambode has shown a holistic approach to governance.
Cultural governance is usually overlooked by leaders, which is why Ambode’s critical cultural interventions in less than three years at the helm deserve to be properly situated. It takes a culture-friendly mind to think culturally. Ambode’s cultural focus shows that his understanding of “needs in the society” is not narrow and simplistic.
Now that Lagos has shown the way, despite its pronounced cultural diversity, it is expected that other states in the country’s southwest where Yoruba is the main language will emulate the language policy. It is clear that the Yoruba have a duty to preserve and promote their language.
Indeed, every indigenous language deserves to be preserved and promoted. The question is: Where are the preservers and promoters?
