Student Journalists urged to promote indigenous language

By Adekunle Emmanuel

The Editor of Gbelegbo Newspaper, Sina Fadare, has urged student journalists to wake from their slumber and promote the indigenous language, Yoruba.

He said the Yoruba language has been left in the lurch for decades and it is high time it got resuscitated.

Fadare said this when a contingent of student journalists from Press Club MAPOLY toured the facility of Gbelegbo Newspaper in Lagos.

He gave a brief account of the motive behind the creation of Gbelegbo Newspaper, citing that it was founded by the Nation Newspaper to promote Yoruba culture in Nigeria and outside the shores of Nigeria through the youths.

He said, “Generation of the 21st century has neglected, turned deaf ears to the language of their forefathers which is Yoruba for the South West. We all know it is imperative for us to adapt, know, learn and take it into effect how to speak our lingua franca. We should not eradicate the ancient language inherited from our forefathers.”

On Gbelegbo, “Gbelegbo was planted to harvest youth of the society to promote the Yoruba language in order not to have it cut off in the present generation of the world.

“The language Yoruba has been existing before the invention of foreign languages in the world. The first newspaper written and published in Nigeria was Iwe Iroyin by Henry Townsend. It was published in Abeokuta in 1859 and sold for 120 cowries.”

Fadare charged the students to take it upon themselves to skyrocket Yoruba language to the world.

Adekunle Emmanuel is an ND1 student of the Department of Mass Communication, Moshood Abiola Polytechnic.

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