The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, has clarified that the “University of Nigerian Languages, Aba (Establishment, etc.) Bill, 2024” is only seeking to upgrade the existing National Institute for Nigerian Languages (NINLAN), Aba, Abia State, to a University of Nigerian Languages.
Speaking when members of the Governing Board of NINLAN, led by their chairman, Professor Victor Ukaogo, paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja, Kalu said the bill, sponsored by him and eight others, does not have the name of President Bola Tinubu attached to it.
He said: “To review the establishment act of NINLAN to change your status from not being funded by TETFUND to a level where you can be funded, enlarge your curriculum, and give more to society is what the bill is all about.
“The bill has nothing to do with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s name. What was published in our journal says University of Nigerian Languages.
“This was what we submitted, but the news we are getting outside is that they are attaching the name of Bola Ahmed Tinubu just to drag a president who is making concerted efforts to ensure that education in Nigeria is stronger than he met it.
“Election is over; people should leave the president out of petty issues. He doesn’t know about this, was never part of it. We are looking for ways to lift the standard of the institution, which the federal government is funding, to move it from where it is to where it ought to be—and that we must do. This is not the first institution I am moving bills for to change their status, and it won’t be the last.
“My interest is that we should not allow NINLAN to die. The issue of the school’s nomenclature is secondary; it’s already a federal government establishment. It has the potential to create more jobs and do more for our people.
“It’s not a new university. We want to upgrade you to where you can benefit from TETFUND, build capacity, train more people, and be a reference point.
“As leaders who want to protect what our forefathers handed over to us, we must push for the element of our identity found in our Nigerian languages,” Kalu told the Governing Council members.
Kalu also emphasised the need to preserve Nigerian languages as a uniting element.
He suggested a possible plan to amend the act establishing the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) to accommodate the funding of specialised institutions of higher learning and inter-university centres in the country.
“I knew NINLAN when it came into place, and one would have thought that by now, NINLAN would be better than it is. I want to thank the people of Ngwa land, the people of Aba, who donated their land because they love education. If they didn’t love education, they would not have given over 300 hectares of land to improve the lives of Nigerians, not only Aba people.
“There’s no institution in Nigeria that was set up to handle Nigerian languages. Outside this, what we have are institutions promoting foreign languages, even when French is sparsely used in our day-to-day life, whereas Nigerian languages are used daily—from farms to markets, schools to construction sites, and communities to worship centres. An average Nigerian child cannot go to the market to negotiate or worship using our local languages. So, it’s important we get it right now to prevent them from going into extinction. Language has remained a uniting element in all nations of the world. It is fundamental.
“It’s one of the elements that define our identity. Once it’s eroded, people begin to question your identity. Our children struggle to speak the language of our identity, and it ought not to be so. The teachers of languages are fading away because of the lack of importance attached to the identity element of our nation. Many people are not going into the study of languages to teach the next generation. So, there is a dearth of those with the capacity to teach Nigerian languages.
“You cannot talk about peace, unity, and progress without our languages. If we embrace the diversity that defines our nation, then language must be prioritised. It’s not just about academics but also about social development and integration.
“You play a major role in uniting this nation and in fostering peace. Peace should be communicated in a language people understand.
“What’s wrong if I’m Igbo and I go to school to learn Hausa? What’s wrong if I’m Hausa and I go to school to learn Yoruba?
“It’s unfortunate that you’ve been abandoned, but the renewed hope agenda of Mr. President prioritises education as a strategic tool to fight poverty, and yours will not be left behind.
“The intention of the legislature when we crafted the law governing TETFUND was to enhance education in its entirety, not to be discriminatory. So, it calls for a review. The funds used by TETFUND are meant to equip all citadels of learning to achieve their mandate.
“It should be reviewed to incorporate institutions like yours that play specialised roles in the education of our people. Language is a specialised field of study,” the Deputy Speaker added.
Earlier, the chairman of NINIAN’s Governing Board, Professor Victor Ukaogo, told the Deputy Speaker that NINLAN needed urgent federal attention to tackle many of its challenges.
