RE: LOCAL LANGUAGES IN AKWA IBOM STATE, WORTH PROMOTING? By Edikan Ekanem

Just this afternoon, I was notified by Facebook regarding a submission made by my very good friend Emryz Umana on the issue of Akwa Ibom language, whether it worth promoting and I am persuaded to reply accordingly.
I am writing this reply for twin reasons. Firstly, am writing to correct the wrong impression given by him as to the purpose and mission of the campaign for the revival of Akwa Ibom languages. Secondly, to restate my take on the issue of promoting Akwa Ibom languages.
To start with, Umana said: “Many, especially my friend Edikan Ekanem have always campaigned for the bringing back of the Ibibio language (wherever it was) to be spoken again by those concerned”.

It is good that he used the description “those concerned” which has ipso facto shows that it is not under compulsion but voluntary to support the course. We have individual differences and as such we can never love and agree on the same issue at all point in time. With this, he should take cognizance of the fact that to support this campaign is voluntary.
He also made a reference to my last commentary on blood transfusion on Akbc, alluding that if patients are left at leverage to choose either accept or reject blood transfusion, people should also be left at leverage to speak our indigenous language or not.

“The issue now is, if a patient can be said to be exercising his fundamental right not to consent to blood transfusion even when that could save him from joining his ancestors, what more of a person who refuses to speak his language knowing how deficient and inadequate the language is?” he added.

It is imperative to state here that the whole campaign to bring back our language is not a do or die affair, children are not forced to speak but the value and importance of our language is only stressed and the need accept it.
Using the acceptance or rejection of blood transfusion here as a reference is non sequitur, it does not follow. The right to accept or reject blood transfusion is constitutional whereas the instant case is not. There is no correlation here sir.
Also, the issue of deficiencies and lacuna that are found in our Ibibio language making it unworthy of promotion as raised by him is so porous and pedestrian. When an individual develops love for our language, he or she will know that our language have all what it takes to be an independent language.
If Ibibio language does not worth promotion, why do we study it as a course in the University? Did the NUC did not know how deficient the language is before approving it to be studied? How did some Ibibio writers manage to produce some copies of books In Ibibio since the deficiency is overwhelming?
If English that we die after and for is flawless, why then does it keep on metamorphosing every day? Does it mean that we can’t be bilingual?
In a nutshell, as we develop our love for English language, we should not condemn our own Ibibio language even when we are not happy about it. We all have our lives to live and we respect others views as we want them to respect ours.
To read the benefits of our own language, the biblical basis of this campaign, the need for survival in our contemporary society, read my article entitled “the 'Ibibio language' in our contemporary society: the need for revival” available in Google.
I stand with Mike Umoh in saying #bringbackourlanguage .