THE size and quality of attendance underscored the significance of the launch of Izon fie book and audio book CD held recently at Terra Kulture, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The role call included Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, who was represented by the Commissioner for Culture and Ijaw National Affairs, Dr. Felix Tuodolo. The governor served as chief presenter and launcher. Former Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs and Former Managing Director of NDDC, Mr. Timi Alaibe presided over the ceremony as chairman.

Around also to witness the birth of the unique publication and its electronic version were Special Adviser to the Bayelsa Government on Ijaw Affairs, Chief Joshua Fumudoh (MFR); Special Adviser to President on Presidential Amnesty Programme, Kinglsey Kuku, who was represented by Mr Lawrence Pepple; Mr. Dismas represented DG of NIMASA, Mr Patrick Akpobolokemi; MD, Heritage Bank, Mr Ifie Sekibo; Ambassador and Mrs Lawrence Ekpebu; Vice President of Ijaw National Congress, Engineer Charles Ambaowei; Executive Secretary, National Institute for Cultural Orientation, Dr Barclays Ayakoroma; Prof Benjamin Okaba of Delta State University reviewed the book.

Other guests were Chief Joseph Pinaowei; President, Ijaw Professionals, Lagos, Mr Amagbe Kentebe; SA on Protocol to Bayelsa State Governor, Mrs Timi Okara-Schiller; Bayelsa State Liaison Officer, Lagos, Ms Doutimi Siawe; GM, Global West Vessel Specialists, Mr Greg Mbonu; MD, Mike-Lely Marine Ltd, Captain Letthemsay Inaibagha; Ms Beena Youdiowei; Ms Funkazi Koroye; Mr Frank Okosi; Engineer Sir Ernest Amadi; Mr Preye Berezi; MD, Accurist Marine & Dredging Ltd, Mr Kunle Makinde; Mr Otrofanowei; Pastor David Okoror, RCCG Morning Star Parish, Abuja. The list was simply inexhaustible.

Izon Fie Book and Audio Book CD was commissioned and published by Mrs Oyintarela Ebiere Umeri (nee Diffa). She is founder and Managing Director of Niger Delta Books Ltd, while the author is Mr Ogonobenitari Alfred Egberipou.

On what inspired her to embark on the project, Oyintarela recalled, “I got to an age in the UK where it dawned on me it was time to learn my native tongue. I got inspired by a Professor of Linguistics, Prof Kay Williamson, she was the only English person to speak Ijaw language and she developed the language fully from University of Ibadan then before she later moved to the University of Port Harcourt. She used to come to London to address the elders: ‘use your language or lose your language.’ That inspired me; her effort as an European to speak my indigenous language, I felt it was my duty to do something.

“I approached the elders in UK and asked them to teach me the language. A lot of them can speak but they can’t read and write it. So it now dawned on me let’s use another format. I learnt French and German in school; I took it up to university level but I can’t understand my own native tongue. So, I said the same way I learnt the grammar of French and German, learning basics and foundation, the same way I can learn my language and then the CD, very important especially for a language like Izon with a lot of tone marking. You need to hear somebody speak it for you; that’s where the CD, audio book comes in. So I approached the author of the book, Mr. Egberipou, who was a retired lecturer of the University of Port Harcourt. I told him to write something for me so that I can teach my children. And by the way, write it for people of my generation who are in the same boat as me, but do it in a style we can learn from. It must be translated word for word, sentence for sentence, phrase for phrase and even the speech I gave today was from the book; I got the sentences from the book. I heard it pronounced from the CD many times so I could attempt it even though I am a non-speaker. That’s the inspiration and he put the book together based on my specification. It started since 2006 and we thank God. It’s been a long journey.”

Oyintarela is sure the book and CD will play significant role in helping Izon people in the Diaspora, as well as within Nigeria like Lagos to master the language. “The publication and the CD will help those who did not grow up at home, and those who are interested to learn. Most people want to do business in the Niger Delta, if you can say something in their language, it breaks a lot of barrier.”

The rationale behind her company, Niger Delta Books Limited, is to develop so many Niger Delta languages “like Edo, Ibibio, Efik, Itsekiri, those ones are a bit  more developed. But there are others like Bamunu in the north of Cross River that nobody hears about. There is Ika, there are no books to learn the language. If you don’t go to the village, you don’t hear the language.”

The book and the CD, she stressed, “is just the beginning of a long journey. “We have just started. I am going to develop more books; children’s books, stories and make sure they have the audio. And hopefully, the visual as well so that people can hear. You need to hear so you can understand, not just written.”

Commissioner for Culture and Ijaw National Affairs, Dr. Felix Tuodolo described Ijaw language development as one of the cardinal points of his ministry.

Dr Felix Tuodolo, Commissioner

“We have been doing our little best to improve the learning and teaching of Ijaw language. It is in that light that sometime this year, we offered scholarship to all those that want to learn the language and we are also encouraging other publishers to publish books. But the publishers of this book did not wait on government to support and it is lovely.

“Government cannot do everything, we need the private sector to support the process and so this is a very big step in support of government policy of restoring, reviving and developing the Ijaw language. And it’s one of its types because we have not come across the CD before and we are seeing a CD attached to a book so it will go a long way.”

Other area the state government is looking at, according to him, is movie industry “because many times too, the teaching and learning of language when seen in movie form encourages and improves it. Just like we have so many of our other brother tribes; the Yoruba movie, the Igbo movie and Hausa movie, even Akwa Ibom movie. So, we are working on producing Ijaw movie so that it will further enhance the development of the Ijaw language.

“We are very happy with this programme, we support it and we will take copies of the book back to schools in Bayelsa.”

Dr. Tuodolo dwelled more on the recruitment of some people to learn Izon carried out by the state government recently.

“These are already teachers by profession, so, the minimum qualification needed is a diploma. If you have a diploma and you are a teacher, it’s easier to teach you. So, they are mainly teachers already and they are being trained to go and teach Izon language in primary schools. The focus is on primary school because that’s the beginning. We are learning from others; Awolowo started from primary school so we are learning from history.”

The commissioners reiterated government plans to focus on culture and tourism development

“We see culture as next to oil. Oil is a vanishing resource and it is the mainstay of Bayelsa and Nigeria for now.  We know it’s a depleting resource so you have to look at other means of surviving the economy and culture has the potentials of bringing so much revenue to the state.

“The artworks you do, the plays and so forth. There are many things culture can do if well developed. We see places like Cross River State that depends so much on tourism; the Calabar Carnival and so forth have brought so much to the state. It’s a cultural activity. Our dream is to make culture one of the main incomes in Bayelsa.

“So, we are looking at our different festivals that we are developing so that they can also be sources of income; we are looking at our crafts and so forth. Also, we are looking at developing our language, we don’t want it to die. We are very serious about it; even those that we send to schools to learn the Ijaw language and to teach it, we are going to offer them automatic employment when they graduate so that they have job to do.

“Apart from primary schools, we are also encouraging so many other authors to publish books. We are translating books like Call of the River Nun by Gabriel Okara and some other poems into Ijaw language. We want to make these literary works accessible to our people. We are working in conjunction with the Niger Delta University on some of these projects.”