VICE President Namadi Sambo and a captain of industry, Gamaliel Onosode, have exhorted civil servants and the general public to cultivate what they described as virtues of proper communication for nation-building by striving for proficiency in the use of English language that connects all stakeholders in the country.
The duo gave the charge at the public presentation of two books by the retired diplomat, Ambassador Isaac Sagay, at the Tafawa Balewa Auditorium of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abuja.
According to the Vice President, since communication is the vehicle through which development and cooperation among races, ethnic groups and citizens of any nation are driven, communication rules must be observed.
The books: Studies in English: The Art of Official Correspondence in the Nigerian Civil/Public Service and The Sacred Flame were recommended by a cross-section of Nigerians, including Onosode, former Foreign Affairs Minister, Ambassador Ignatius Olisemeka who chaired the occasion; wife of former Vice President, Titi Abubakar, as well as the Orodje of Okpe, Orue 1.
Speaking through the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Power, Ambassador Godknows Igali, Sambo declared that there was no alternative to English Language as the mode of communication between the various ethnic groupings in the country.
"English is our official language and if we must use it, we have an obligation to be passionate about the excellence of what we write in a way that is globally acceptable and understood," he said.
While advocating mass literacy in Nigeria, Sambo stressed that the "values" of the books are so profound that "they are immediately recommended to all public servants, legislators, members of the executive, schools and the general public."
Reviewing the first book, the Pro- Chancellor, Bowen University, Iwo, Osun State, Onosode, stated that as long as the nation communicates in English, the grammar and syntax must be followed. "In view of the appalling situation of English in our country, any step taken to highlight the problems and suggest measures for improvement should be welcomed," he said.
Reviewing the second book: The Sacred Flame - Poems, the Chairman, Byron Institute, Dr. Charles A.T. Cudjoe, stressed that it "is not a collection that anyone can finish reading. It is meant to be a daily companion...Like most book of poetry, you return to them again and again when life comes with its many surprises. Here is one more companion, a tonic for life's wayfarer and pilgrim. What a legacy from a septuagenarian."
Author, Ambassador Sagay, said he was moved by what he called the murderous English in official circles and even in the media. He decried the growing impression among Nigerians that there can be a sub-standard alternative, a so-called Nigerian English, which is at variance with standard English.
Coming at a time British institutions are now insisting that Nigerians must take English Language examinations before coming into the United Kingdom to study, Sagay said: "There comes a time to do something about this decadence. I wrote the book to awaken Nigerians that excellence in the spoken English is not elitist and unless we remedy the anomaly, a time will come when we cannot understand our children."
The Guardian
English Language would always be a language the whole world will always love to accept. Great!