The newly floated Esan socio-cultural organization, Esan Okpa Initiative (EOI), has restated its strong resolve to promoting Esan language and culture, saying that it is committed to the reintroduction of Esan as a subject in the West African Examination Schools Certificate (WAEC) and eventually scaling up its teaching to the tertiary levels.
Apart from setting up mini language clinics in big cities like Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt and the Diaspora, Esan Okpa says, it is also going to latch on deployment of technology to fast track this process.
The organisation revealed that it is going to set up a committee of experts versed in the language, to draw up a curriculum to guide the teaching of Esan from primary to tertiary levels.
Outlining the strategies for achieving this, its President, Rt Hon Mathew Egbadon says, “We have identified and outlined programmes and events we shall be embarking on soon, to sensitize and rekindle our people’s interest in speaking and writing in Esan language.”
In a letter of congratulations to Dr Judith Oremire Ehibor, a lecturer at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile ife, who recently completed a PhD programme on “Contrastive Analysis of Functional Categories in Esan and English Languages,” at the University of Port Harcourt, Egbadon, who was particularly excited at her prowess, said, “We will surely be latching on the knowledge of experts like you to put together a befitting curriculum for the teaching of Esan Language at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels.”
The letter reads in parts:
“We wish to warmly and heartily congratulate you as one of Esanland’s most resourceful daughters, on your recent conclusion of your doctorate programme at the University of Port Harcourt. You have no doubt done our people proud by this lofty attainment.
“We at Esan Okpa Initiative (EOI) not only greatly rejoice with you on this strides but are particularly excited by your thesis titled, “Contrastive Analysis of Functional Categories in Esan and English Languages” which resonates with our drive to re-engineer the study and promotion of Esan Language and Culture, one of the critical issues addressed in our recent press conference held in Benin City.
“We will surely be latching on the knowledge of experts like you to put together a befitting curriculum for the teaching of Esan Language at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels.
“We are strongly soliciting your partnership to key into our vision to ensure that our people speak the Esan Language.
“An Esan adage says “You are lost if you cannot speak the language of your place or people.” Needless to state that language is an integral part of the culture of a people.”
Lamenting the down slide of Esan language over the years, Egbadon, who’s also pioneer Speaker, Edo State House of Assembly, said, “EOI is concerned that the Esan language is fast going into extinction, as many of our people, particularly the young ones, including those who live in Esanland, cannot speak the language, let alone write in it.
“The situation is so worrisome, to the extent that many of our people cannot string a simple sentence together in Esan language without mixing it up with mostly English language.
“As a body, we have identified and outlined programmes and events we shall be embarking on soon, to sensitize and rekindle our people’s interest in speaking and writing in Esan language.
“We also have plans to promote Esan language and culture among the Esan people, including those living outside the State, by setting up mini Esan language clinics in places like Lagos, Port Harcourt, Abuja and in the diaspora. We are resolutely committed to this project including deploying the appropriate modern technology to facilitate this objective.”
While reiterating the call on the Edo State government to reintroduce the study of Esan language in its school curriculum, at the primary and secondary school levels in Esanland, he disclosed that, “In the past, Esan language was taught in schools and was even part of the West African School Certificate Examination syllabus.”
He also assured that “We have adequate texts and books in Esan Language to support its teaching and teachers in schools in Esan Land.”
Explaining further, Egbadon stated that, “We have also made a similar request to the State-owned University, Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, to, as a matter of urgency, introduce the study of Esan and other Edo languages and culture as part of the programme at its Department of Language Studies.”
