IMPLEMENTING L2 COMPONENT OF INSTITUTE’S MANDATE: ED URGES LINGUISTS AND INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES LECTURERS TO EMBRACE THE CHALLENGE
The Executive Director, Prof. Ogbonna Onuoha, has urged professors and lecturers of Linguistics and Nigerian languages in the Institute’s employ to brace themselves to the task of developing manuals for the teaching of languages and cultures of other ethnic groups to non-native learners. He made the call in a meeting with the lecturers at the Institute’s Conference hall yesterday.
The ED stated that it has become imperative for the Institute to distinguish itself in the country’s scheme of things and to showcase it’s relevance by implementing the L2 component of it’s mandate as enshrined in the Institute’s Act.
He explained that the process of implementing the L2 mandate of the Institute would require the establishment of Acculturation and Language Acquisition Centres (ALACs) across the six geo-political zones of Nigeria. He added that in doing so, the languages of other zones would be taught in the zones where they are not spoken. He said the arrangement was in line with the position of House of Representatives Committee on Tertiary Education.
Prof. Onuoha tasked the lecturers to be prepared to engage in further researches in Nigerian languages to aid the development of their orthographies, primers, and monographs.
He noted that the federal authorities were of the view that the Institute does not have serious scholars to spearhead research in Nigerian languages. He challenged the academics to be willing to produce something that would convince the government to continue to fund the Institute as an autonomous institution.
The Institute Librarian, Prof. Cyprian Ugwu, further explained that ALACs will have International Centres at Houston, United States of America; Toronto, Canada; and London, United Kingdom while Domestic Centres will be strategically located in a federal university within each geo-political zone. He said the programme would cover areas of study ranging from Language Training and Immersion to Community engagement.
It is hoped that the House Committee on Tertiary Education would lend its full support to ALACs to facilitate the provision of funds for its implementation.
According to the ED, ALACs is ” a journey into national cohesion and unity”.

Godson Iheanyi Ugbor
PAR(IPPR).