The inaugural lecturer, Prof. Stanislaus Orjighjigh Iyorza (left), receiving a memento from the Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic, Prof. Tony Eyang who represented the Vice Chancellor.
By Anietie Akpan
A university don has urged the Federal Government to make local dialect a compulsory subject for gaining University admission.
While delivering the 142nd inaugural lecture of the University of Calabar (Unical) at the Godswill Akpabio International Conference Centre on Wednesday, August 13, Prof. Stanislaus Orjighjigh Iyorza, also advocated for the promotion of local dialect learning in primary and secondary schools.
This was contained in a release from the Public Relations Unit of the University of Calabar.
Delivering the institution’s inaugural lecture on the topic, “Communicating Change And Development in Nigeria’s Media Spaces: Bridging the Participatory Lacuna”, Prof. Iyorza emphasized the need to prioritize local dialect in schools, and further tasked the Federal Government to compel the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to make a credit pass in every candidate’s local dialect compulsory for University education.
He stresed that the need for local dialect proficiency has become imperative due to the anticipated paradigm shift in change and development communication, which will require intensive communication in local dialects, especially among rural people and the illiterate.
The inaugural lecturer recommended training young and vibrant speakers of local dialects for persuasive speeches in their localities.
He also called on the Federal Government to encourage the mastery of all communication skills among citizens, stressing that change and development require effective communication.
Iyorza, a Professor of Media, Change and Development Communication expressed concern about the dwindling reading and writing culture among Nigerians, appealing to examination bodies (WAEC and NECO) to reconsider plans for purely computer-based exams.
He also urged governments to partner with professional bodies to communicate change and development effectively and tasked professional bodies to regulate unhealthy communications that may harm national identity and unity.
The university don charged media practitioners to monitor feedbacks and reactions to their change and development communication and evaluate them to know the level of progress and find out if there is a need to replan such communications.
He advocated for a New World Information and Communication Order, enabling equal participation rights in international development communication.
The inaugural lecturer recommended that state governments set up or revive radio stations, allocating 70 percent of airtime to community-based programmes that will be more instructional for audience participation in change and development.
The Vice Chancellor of Unical, Prof. Florence Obi, described the inaugural lecturer as a knowledgeable academic who has made a significant impact in media and development communication.
Represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic, Prof. Tony Eyang, the varsity helmsman said the lecture topic touches on the fabric of the Nigerian society and should be taken seriously.
The well-attended lecture featured the presentation of a memento by the Deputy Vice Chancellor to the inaugural lecturer on behalf of the Vice Chancellor.
