The Obong of Calabar Executive Forum (OCEF) has expressed readiness to institute scholarships for young Nigerians to study the Efik language in order to avert it going extinct.
As a way of encouraging the learning of the language, the Forum has also assured that they will recall retired teachers to teach the language.
These were contained in a statement signed by chairman of the Forum, Chief Gershom Henshaw released to journalists on Saturday evening in Calabar.
They called on the West African Examination Council, WAEC, to reinstate the Efik language in their curriculum, appealing to schools in Nigeria, to teach the language with assurance that they are in a position to encourage more teachers in the subject.
Henshaw, MFR, they raised alarm over the delisting of Efik language from WAEC curriculum, describing the development as an assault on the Efik people
Henshaw maintained that Efik language is one of the widely spoken indigenous languages in Nigeria with a well developed orthography which was used in translating the Bible in the 19th century as well as in news translation in the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation, NBC, in the 1960s to 1980s and wondered why it should be dropped from WAEC syllabus now.
They listed efforts to sustain the Efik language to forestall its extinction, including the institution of scholarship to students offering Efik language in WAEC and special allowances for Efik language teachers.
According to him, retired Efik language teachers are to be recalled to teach, as well as encourage the airing of Efik language programmes on radio and television, among others
Henshaw expressed displeasure at how Efik language students were given Igbo question papers in WAEC examination to write in place of Efik subject saying such was totally unacceptable and should not repeat itself
He assured OCEF will make available enough number of candidates for Efik language examination to meet WAEC’s requirements, adding that the palace of the Obong of Calabar was poised to ensure that Efik language does not go into extinction.
