Isoko Positive Agenda Holds Seminar on Sustenance of Isoko Language

 By Henry Adagbra 

A Pan Isoko Socio-Political Pressure Group Isoko Positive Agenda (IPA) recently at the Isoko Development Union secretariat, Oleh, Isoko South local government area, Delta State, held a seminar on the sustenance of Isoko Language.

Speaking at the event the chairman of IPA Sir, Mathias Eto said that,IPA was formed by some Isoko sons in politics early in the year 2000 with an idea of a Pan Isoko Socio-Political Pressure Group with membership across political parties  with the aim of promoting peaceful co-existence among the Isoko people of Nigeria. 

Sir,Eto also said that IPA was formed to promote political awareness /consciousness of the Isoko people,to promote and establish an enduring political culture that will enhance better representation and followership for the Isoko people ,to encourage and facilitates the educational socio-economic and socio-political development of the Isoko people and to uphold the socio-cultural values of the Isoko people. 

Sir, Eto further said, realising that the Isoko language and by extension her culture is rapidly going into extinction, the IPA decided to undertake a massive campaign /enlightenment to direct the attention of leaders, parents, children and all indigenes of the Isoko ethnic nationality to the cancerous danger of this phenomenon, the need for an urgent reversal and possible instruments and the modalities for an effective reversal.

He reiterate that to this end, IPA undertook a paid radio programme for four quarters of thirteen weeks, noting that IPA was on air every Sunday for 30 minutes (4:30-5.00pm) at Quest FM radio station for the transmission of the enlightenment campaign on the unquantifiable benefits of the sustenance of the Isoko language. 

He however lamented that much as IPA was highly encouraged by commendations from those who listened regularly, the fact still remain that,majority of the leaders, parents and others who are the genuine /proper instruments of the reversal /sustenance never listened, saying that it is for that purpose that the seminar was put in place to solicit their support for the achievement of the project. 

A resourced person for the event Prof. Abednigo Ekoko said that, that the Isoko language is dying because the Isoko people are ashamed to speak the language, noting that as one language dies, a chapter of human culture and history closes,that for a language is not only the main instrument for human verbal communication, it also expresses the world view of those who speak or use it. 

Prof. Ekoko also disclose that according to research the Isoko language is older than the Urhobo language, saying that the Isoko people should be proud to speak the Isoko language in their homes and anywhere they are in the world.

Prof. Ekoko further said that Parents today are the worst culprits instead of speaking the Isoko language to their children they speak pidgin English to them, even within Isoko here those who are born and bred cannot even speak the Isoko language.

He also stated that today in our churches the presiding priests always used the English language for prayers instead of the Isoko language the priests should desist from.But even if you use the Isoko language to pray God will definitely answer. 

He therefore directed IPA to meet head of churches in Isoko land from the Catholic Church, Anglican Church and the Pentecostal churches to encourage them to use the Isoko in their various church activities which will help in the sustenance of the language.

Meanwhile the chairman of the event Comrade Ovuozorie Macaulay lauded what IPA has done so far, for the sustenance of the Isoko language, noting that if you are doing something worthwhile in order for you to achieve result we all must work together to get the desire result.

The former SSG Delta State  also disclose that the Isoko people have not be able to take the issue of the sustenance of the Isoko language seriously. If you look at the Urhobo people they have taken the study of the urhobo language very far ahead  they now have professor of the urhobo language. 

Comrade Macaulay further said that, if it is in Isoko here and you are studying the Isoko language they will make mockery of you.Today in Urhobo land there are not much people that are respected than Prof. Darah because of what he did in research on urhobo dance called 'Uje'.We must respect the Isoko language and stop making mockery of the language. 

He therefore commended the effort of IPA for the good work they did at Quest FM in promoting the sustenance of the Isoko language. But we cannot end it there because not everybody that listened to the programme on Quest FM. 

We must ensure that we take the studying of the Isoko language to our schools from the primary to tertiary institution.