NICO begins nationwide free training of corps members on Nigerian indigenous languages

The National Institute for Cultural Orientation, NICO, has commenced free training on Nigerian indigenous languages in all the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC orientation camps nationwide.

Speaking during the commencement of the training programme in FCT NYSC Orientation Camp in Kubwa Abuja, the Executive Secretary of NICO, Otunba Biodun Ajiboye said the move is to further promote the teaching and learning of Nigerian languages thereby safeguarding them from going into extinction.

Ajiboye, who was represented by the Director, Orientation and Cultural Affairs in NICO, Mr Segun Adegbaju stated that the training which is also part of the Institute’s orientation programme explained that the training would last for three weeks of the corps members orientation programme in camp.

According to him, the essence is to assist the NYSC members to interact in the languages of their host and immediate communities

This three weeks free training of Nigerian Indigenous Languages is not in FCT alone but holding simultaneously nationwide and each corps member will be giving the opportunity to learn at least two Nigerian languages of their choice ” the Executive Secretary stressed.

In his words “what we also intend to achieve is to make very easy for corps members to interact with people at the grassroots during their service year because learning the language and interacting with people in their immediate environment will make them to be comfortable anywhere they are because we’re all Nigerians and it’s not good for us as Nigerians to just understand only one language of our birth”

While stating that the exercise would be a continuous one, the Executive Secretary of NICO advised the corps members to take the training very serious to enable them reap the benefits of understanding more than one Nigerian indigenous languages

Also speaking, some of the Resource Persons, Dr Numa Sheshi and Mr Alonge Isaac said they are fully prepared to impact knowledge on the corps members during their three weeks orientation programme.