VC fears for extinction of Nigerian culture
Vice-Chancellor of the Kwara State University, Malete, Professor Abdulrasheed Na'Allah, yesterday warned that Nigerian culture and tradition may become extinct if efforts are not made to revive them.
He specifically referred to the Ilorin emirate community in Kwara State which he noted was blessed with rich culture, traditions and folklores which have distinguished the city, but noted that some aspects of the culture have virtually become extinct.
Na'Allah, a Professor of English, Comparative Poetics and Performance, was delivering the second public lecture titled, "Contributions of Ilorin Islamic Oral Genres to Yoruba Tradition" organised by Centre for Ilorin Studies, University of Ilorin.
He cautioned that Ilorin might lose its rich culture and tradition to the current obsession with foreign languages and traditions, saying that many people are fond of speaking English to their children.
"You have never been to even Lagos, let alone London or New York City, you are just in Ilorin and you speak English to your children. It just baffles me because these children, if you look at the English they speak, it is terrible. So you are starting your child with terrible, rotten English that is even more terrible than Pidgin", he said.
He stressed that adopting foreign language and culture is not a yardstick for development, observing that most citizens of China, which is one of the largest economies in the world, do not speak English.
"For us, we are so eager to forget our own language, to forget our culture, to forget our tradition and I want to say that Ilorin, which is the topic of this discussion, is making a major mistake. If it continues this way."
The Grand Khadi of Kwara State Sharia Court of Appeal, Justice Salihu Mohammed, also expressed regret that Nigeria is losing its identity which is not good for the growth and development of the country.
Cloud Tag: What's trending
Click on a word/phrase to read more about it.
Muideen Olaniyi Alalade Owo Arugbo Segun Adeniyi Kwara Primary Health Care Development Agency Lanre Badmus Saad Omo Iya Oniwa Tope Daramola Ilorin Central Mosque Muslim Cementary Sheikh Hamzat Yusuf Ariyibi Police Commissioner Abegunde Goke Kwara Polytechnic Budo-Egba Gobir Organization Foundation Hamid Bobboyi Revenue Court Umar Saro Ohoro Of Shao Zubair Folorunsho Erubu Amusement Park CCT Medinat Folorunsho Salman Binta Abubakar-Mora Tsaragi-Share Tsaragi/Share Abdulrahman Abdulrazak Usman Alkali Baba Iyabo Adewuyi Abdulsalam A. Yusuf Onilorin Yusuf Abdulkadir CLAY POT Yakub Ali-Agan Olubukola Kifayat Adedeji Shuaibu Yaman Abdullahi Muhammed Danjuma Babaloja-General Sai Kayi Abubakar Kawu Baraje Samari James Ayeni Lanre Aremu Isaac Gbenle Obayomi Azeez Adewuyi Funmilayo Kwara State Internal Revenue Service Jalala Tunji Ajanaku Ilorin South UNILORIN Alumni Kola Ologbondiyan Offa Descendants Union Kwara Consultative Forum Albert Ogunsola Kwara University Of Education Abikan Muhammad-Mustapha Suleiman Afusat Nike Ibrahim Nigeria Governors\' Forum IEDPU Bola Ahmed Tinubu Yomi Ogunsola NITDA Ibraheem Abdullateef Folorunsho Erubu Federal College Of Education (Special), Afon Aishat Mohammed Lawal Government Girls’ Day Secondary School Pakata Amuda Aluko Facemasks Ado Bayero Lithium Deposit Yusuf Babatunde Abdulwahab Vasolar Iyabo Dupe Adekeye

