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Many Families no Longer Speak Nigerian Languages — Hakeem Adenekan

By SAMUEL AWOYINFA

He is an expert in the field of integrated marketing communication, which encapsulates advertising, public relations and branding, among others. But Hakeem Adenekan, CEO, Commstrat Associates, has a passion to revive the indigenous languages which, he claims, are fast going into extinction. He shares this story and other interesting issues with SAMUEL AWOYINFA Though his calling is in the creative endeavour, he has been leading another crusade, which is aimed at reviving Nigeria's indigenous languages which, he says, are fast becoming extinct.   Hakeem Adenekan, who sits atop a thriving advertising company, Commstrat Associates, and its subsidiaries based in Surulere area of Lagos, feels disappointed and terribly angry that Nigeria's indigenous languages are no more encouraged or spoken in many homes.
"It is quite painful that our local languages are fast going into extinction," he begins. "I say this because, in many homes, if not most homes, English Language has become the only language of communication. Most of us no longer speak our indigenous languages to our children, and gradually, the languages are sliding into extinction."

The Abeokuta, Ogun State born entrepreneur says he is also worried about the latest trend in some private primary and secondary schools where pupils are no longer taught any of our major languages but are rather taught French, Chinese, Spanish, among others."
Again, he states, "Many Nigerians now prefer to use American accent, even when they can't write or understand standard English. Whereas in many countries that have developed, most especially in Asia, you'll realise that they use their indigenous languages to train their children at home and in school.
"This is just to ensure that their countries become great. I could mention places like Singapore, Japan, Malaysia and China among others. Language is a weapon; they realised it and they are using it effectively and successfully.
"The British came here and told us that our indigenous languages are vernacular, and they played them down for the English Language. We don't want to begrudge them, but how are we going to develop our own languages?"
Adenekan is currently leading a team of 50 Nigerians, including three professors and specialists in the three major indigenous languages in Nigeria: Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa, for a start; and they have come up with a compilation of traditional mores and rhymes, which espouse the virtues of honesty, hard work, chastity, citizenship, among others.
These compilations, which are being prosecuted by his Evagrin Consepts, are not only in book form but also in audio-visual forms (CD and VCD) to re-awake and re-engineer the resolve to revive these languages.
He stresses further, "Our children should not only be fed with Barney, Ben10 and other foreign stuff; they should also know about those indigenous rhymes that could build them up morally. To make for easy reading and understanding, these books have illustrations to support the stories. These are rhymes that bring about social and positive values in all our children. It imbues in them virtues of being good citizens, good students and good children.
"Ace cinematographer and film producer, Tunde Kelani, handled the shooting of the audio-visuals of these rhymes. You could see children reciting our national anthem in the three major Nigerian languages. Every one of these rhymes was sub-titled in English."

Adenekan, who commends the Osun State Governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, for having adopted the book and the audio-visuals for pupils in public primary schools in the state, says he's still on campaign streak, talking to other state executives across the country to embrace this crusade.
Adenekan, who had his formative years in Mushin (Lagos) and Abeokuta, attended the Islamic Mission Primary School, Ishaga, along Itire Road, Mushin; and Premier Grammar School, Abeokuta. He later had his Higher National Diploma in Mass Communication at the Ogun State Polytechnic (now Moshood Abiola Polytechnic), where he read Mass Communication.
The unassuming advertising practitioner, who recalls that he partook in all pranks children play, says that he was focused and God had helped him to come out a shining star from the dreadful clan called Mushin.
Reminiscing about his growing up days, Adenekan maintains that there was high standard of moral and people never had this greed for material acquisition which now prevails in our society. "Is this what is responsible for increase in social vices in our society today?" Our correspondent had asked.
"Nigeria has inverted social values. Our social values have become inverted. We have to go back to the basics, stop chasing money, material things or using cosmetic approach to issues. We must come back to the foundation of what we call the concept of honesty and chastity.
"We have to go back to virtues of hard work and honesty. We have to go back to the values of our forebears, that is when we can move forward. Parents leave home early in the morning and they never return until late in the night. Who looks after those children? What type of socialisation are the maids giving those children?"
Adenekan explains to our correspondent that he had to become an apprentice to his father in his power generating, overhauling and service workshop during the four years he was struggling to pass the relevant subjects to enter higher institution.
And today, he says, that experience has become part of him, and each time his generator either at home or his office misbehaves, no one could pull any wool over his eyes.
Describing himself as a 'restless person' which he sums up to be the motivating factor that pushed him into becoming an entrepreneur, Adenekan for a decade and a half worked primarily in the field of advertising. He had worked with numerous advertising firms such as Centrespread FCB Advertising Ltd, Campaign Palace Advertising Limited, LTC J. Walter Thomson Advertising, among others, before he started the Commstrat Associates Group comprising Commstrat Brand Communication; Commstrat PR and Evagrin Konsepts Ltd.
Talking about what drives him as a person, he enthuses, "One, it is the fear of poverty. Two, I always like to provide solutions and to change my environment. The environment where I exist, whether in the office, at home or anywhere, I always want to make a difference. I always like to add value in whatever I am involved in. It has become a passion. I believe that was what motivated me to venture into being an entrepreneur. I don't want to pass through this world like a snake that passes on top of a rock without leaving any mark."
Adenekan, who holds an MBA from the Lagos State University, among other professional qualifications, is at home when you take him up on what makes a successful advertising agency.
According to him, an advertising agency that craves excellence must have qualitative manpower, while members of staff must be well trained.
He adds further, "They must be professional in all the departments the company needs to render qualitative services to its clients. The company must operate in a conducive atmosphere, because advertising is a very hard line and very cerebral. And in a cerebral kind of trade, one must be up to date. What advertising agencies sell is idea; and for one to sell an idea and proffer solutions for clients, the person must be knowledgeable. He must always think global and act local.
"Today's clients are more discerning. One must be very creative. Creativity, not only in terms of putting the strokes or in terms of graphics alone; it should be creativity in all the specialised areas. You must exhibit creativity in your solutions, in the media buying, among others.
"One must dress well, because people see your outward appearance before they listen to what you have in your brain. You must be polished, you must show poise and you must be articulate."
Source: Punch, 13^th March 2011.

Mother Tongue Day

ON Monday, February 21, 2011, Nigeria joined the rest of the world to observe this year's International Mother Tongue Day.

Although only minimal effort was made in the country to emphasize the importance of that day in the preservation and survival of our indigenous languages and cultures, it could be rightly said that its observation, at least, served as a reminder of the importance of promoting the use of mother tongues in urban communities in Nigeria, where English, the nation's official language, has literally swallowed most of the local languages.

Since 1999, when UNESCO declared February 21 the International Mother Tongue Day, most countries of the world have observed it both to promote the use of mother tongues and to help save dying languages.

Several reports have confirmed the high mortality rate of indigenous languages over the years. So, while acknowledging that half of the world's 6000 to 7000 languages have been in danger of extinction, UNESCO saw the need to set aside a day in a year, to remind people of the danger in abandoning their mother tongues.

UNESCO's Goodwill Ambassador for Languages and former President of Iceland, Vigdis Finnbogadottir, aptly captured the danger when he said: "Everyone loses if one language is lost because then, a nation and culture lose their memory, and so does the complex tapestry from which the world is woven and which makes the world an exciting place."

The point is that a language is not only a means of communication and education but also an embodiment of a people's culture, folklore, proverbs and other literary, social, economic, political, medical and technological symbols that define their being, especially in relation to other cultures.

So, as Finnbogadottir pointed out, each time a language dies, the world loses a people's memory.

This, in a way, explains the importance of encouraging the use of mother tongues in a country like Nigeria, where more than 250 languages have been identified but where English and only five or six of the indigenous languages are regularly used in highly populated and mixed cities like Lagos and Abuja.

It is regrettable that even among the three dominant ethnic groups: Igbo, Yoruba and Hausa, whose languages are being, to some extent, promoted in schools, colleges and universities, not all parents and guardians from these ethnic groups consciously make enough efforts to teach their children or wards their mother tongues at home.

While the Hausa and Yoruba are known to have displayed appreciable love for their mother tongue, Igbo speaking adults, residing in urban centers like Lagos, Kano or Abuja, hardly teach their children Igbo language at home. Most of the minority ethnic groups in Nigeria are, like Ndigbo, also guilty of similar negligence.

While children of an Igbo couple residing in Kano, for example, are likely to speak English and fluent Hausa without understanding Igbo (their mother tongue), this will not be the case with an average Hausa couple residing in Enugu. It will also not be the case with a Yoruba couple living either in Umuahia, Sokoto or even in London or Washington.

This is unfortunate because some reports have shown that a child who is denied early knowledge of his or her mother tongue may likely lose part of the essence of his or her being, since, as an embodiment of his or her ancestors' philosophy and way of life, the mother tongue, more than any other vehicle, is supposed to transmit to him or her their original culture and inherent sensibilities.

Besides, any language which the indigenous speakers fail to teach their children is already condemned to death since it cannot be passed on to succeeding generations.

It is also a fact that language is an effective tool with which nations gain international influence and power. The influence of Latin, which was once considered the language of Philosophy and nobility; the influence of French, seen as the language of Diplomacy, and the current dominant influence of English across the world, with their attendant socio- economic and political advantages can never be denied as they are already part of world history.

Since these are known facts, we believe it is not in the interest of any ethnic group in the country to deliberately allow their mother tongues to die.

It is in the light of these facts that we urge all Nigerians to begin to teach their children their mother tongues, irrespective of where they reside.

It is on record that part of UNESCO's strategy to protect the world's oral and intangible heritage, has been a consistent promotion of multilingualism through cultural and educational programmes.

As a country which would derive strength from what is usually described as "unity in diversity," this scheme should be adopted in Nigeria, since the people of the different ethnic groups stand to gain nothing by denying the future generation the rich memories hidden in the hundreds of indigenous languages currently being abandoned across the country.

Besides speaking the mother tongues to children at home, other ways of preserving and promoting the indigenous languages include addition of more indigenous languages to the school curricula and establishment of functional institutes of languages, as well as the revival of the existing ones which have been grossly neglected.
Source: Daily Champion, 11^th March 2011.

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