Igede Youth Council (IYC), headed by Comrade Andyson Iji Egbodo has repeatedly proven excellent in handling affairs concerning Igede nation. IYC leadership uses their head and heart, unlike some leaders renowned for using neither their head nor heart but the feet of a snail. Comrade Andyson and his team have raised the leadership bar by choosing to go where there is no path and leave a trail. It has been hard for Igede youth to develop a recognized voice, but Igede Youth Council has carved a niche and achieved the unimaginable–producing a voice that time and enemies of progress cannot stop. I hope, in due time, this set of people should be given a chance for a broader leadership that will embrace those of us that are not youths. Thumbs up.
The Benue State Teaching Service Board had advertised vacancies in Secondary Schools and specifically called for applications from Tiv and Idoma language teachers, leaving Igede counterpart. Without delay, shifting blame, making excuses for lack of money, display of political phobia or inferiority complex, They wrote a letter of complaint, and a 3-man delegation comprising of Comrade Andyson, Hon. Onah Blessed Emmanuel and Hon. Emmanuel Oko took it to the Executive Secretary of the Board, Dr Frank Kyungun, in Makurdi. They received a commendation from the Secretary and assurance of rectifying the error if Igede people can present a well-structured curriculum.
I do hope ‘IYC’ will follow up on the people responsible for producing the said curriculum. The follow-up will help to ensure that there is no disconnect from what is on the ground. Also, no infiltration of unapproved writings propagated by some self-proclaimed advocates. These strange and middle-brow orthography and writing methods circulating online and in unscrutinized booklets should not find their way into the curriculum.
This information may help: The National Curriculum for Junior Secondary Schools (Igede) translated from original text was done by Ogwuna Oboh, (now late) Dean languages, COE Oju and edited by Elder Peter O. Agogo, (now Prof), then Provost COE Oju in 2000. That one can be dusted and edited lightly. All the people complaining about the current orthography should be bold enough to subject their suggestions to etymological and phonological proof or hold their peace.
The journey into the present spelling system took off when in 1986, Professor John Egbe Enyi’s administration as Chairman Oju Local Government Council hosted the National Conference on Igede Language, literature and culture. The leading proponents of the orthography then were Mr Ogwuna Oboh and Rev John Adimah, guided by Dr John Adive, a linguist who was the Director of the Nigeria Bible Translation Trust, Jos. Finally, in 1992, it was approved and published in manual VI of Nigerian orthographies by National Educational and Research Development Council (NERDC), Abuja. The numeracy was worked on by several people like Prof Ode Ojowu, Mr Ochege, Chief Abinya, Godwin Alobo, Mr Odewu, Prof Stephen Ejugwu, Igede Bible Translation Project, Igede language Planning agency and others. The harmonized version was brought out after three conferences hosted by Association for Promoting Quality Education In Igedeland (APQEI), headed by Dr George Ode and Prof Joel Eriba that witnessed an assemblage of Igede language experts from Universities and higher institutions across the country. All NERDC-approved literatures and the Igede Bible are based on this development.
The largest room is the room for improvement, so other suggestions are welcome. Still, they should not be used in curriculum writing until they are proven academically superior to the one in existence. My love and best wishes are with ‘IYC’ and the people working on the curriculum.
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