NICO takes indigenous language to barracks

National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO) has revved up the use of indigenous Nigerian languages as a strategic tool to sustain and cultivate national integration and peaceful co-existence among Nigerians, with focal attention on the military, Police and paramilitary personnels living in barracks.

Ado Mohammed Yahuza, appointed barely a week ago by President Mohammandu Buhari to turn around the fortunes of NICO, stated that Nigeria’s over 400 indigenous languages are threatened and may go into exctintion if concerted effort are not put in place rev up the  use of indigenous languages as a means  of communication.

Speaking at Premier Police Training College In Ikeja, the NICO boss explained that time had come for serious practical application and use of Nigerian indigenous languages in every day activities, hence the effort by NICO to target national security  barracks all the country as training grounds for the program.

The barracks initiative seamlessly driven in six geopolitical zones of the country, is breasting the tape for a second time but this time retooled to effectively sustain the use and revival of Nigerian indigenous languages.

According to Comrade Ado Mohammed Yahuza, the program was designed to address critical issues of language dislocation and its serious implications for Culture and national development.

“ The alarm has been raised in socio linguistics circles that over 90 per cent of the world’s 7,000 languages may go into exctintion by the next century and worrisome is that indigenous languages such as Igbo and Yoruba may not survive the next 50 years if urgent measures are not put in place to reverse the trend” he explained.

Throwing more light on the NICO indigenous languages revival strategy, Comrade Ado Mohammed Yahuza noted that the first edition, captured students during long vacation, usually held in August ever year while the second edition was tailored for the working class during weekends and ongoing edition, third  in the series, captures use of indigenous languages in the barracks with an online edition as the fourth outing still in the pipeline.

He told the commandant and Commissioner of police in charge of the Police Training College, officers and men that the barracks as mini Nigeria, would benefit from the language training program which would foster peace, unity and social integration.

“It will also enhance espirit -de-corps, promote cordial relationship between officers and their host communities and also enhance intelligence and information gathering”

In brief remarks, Commandant and Commissioner of Police (CP), Police College, Ajani Olasupo, appreciated the NICO effort and called on the officers to take the program very seriously as it would help them settle down in areas of primary assignment and in information gathering.

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