By Francis Onoiribholo/Brenin
The Institute For Benin Studies has promised to liaise with all relevant study groups to save the Edo language from going into extinction. Institute’s Executive Secretary, Mr. Peter Aiko Obobaifo, made the declaration in an address at the 14th Chief Jacob Egharevba Memorial Lecture delivered by a renowned historian, Prof. Obaro Ikime.
He said the institute has already commenced a programme aimed at salvaging the Edo language, According to Obobaifo, earlier in the year, the institute conducted a very successful do Language Class for Children and Beginners where participants were taken through the rudiments of Introduction to do Language grammar, history and core traditional ethics and values.
“The programme rounded off with a tour of historical sites in Benin City and environs; a project geared towards effectively arresting the emerging trend of the young ones’ demonstration of apathy for the use of local language and traditional ethical values. “In the end, it became obvious that even the parents need proper orientation and mobilization to know enough about themselves to position them for equal dissemination at the very beginning of raising children, because what you don’t have; you can’t give”, he said Obobaifo also recalled that in 1997 when the lectures began primarily to honour the eternal memory of the great Benin historical scholar, Dr. Jacob Uwadiae Egharevba (MBE), the institute indeed looked forward to, not only but also assiduously worked at bringing the best possible intellectual material in any given area of studies to Benin City to deliver our lectures. “Prof. Obaro Ikime is one such great mind that we feel very proud to have him deliver this year’s lecture and virtually all the historians and history teachers in this environment passed through his tutelage and a growing crop of ‘Obaro Enthusiasts’ is easily discernible on every campus in Edo and Delta states”.
While pointing out that Ikime has demonstrated uncommon courage, commitment and genuine desire for the continued intellectual development of Benin Studies, Obobaifo said, “the topic for this year’s lecture, “God, History, the Amalgamation of 1914 and the Nigeria of 2013,” looks so wide, exciting and challenging. The in-house budding historians and political scientists at the Institute for Benin Studies easily broke this topic into four separate themes with each having enough muscle for stand-alone paper.
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