23rd Togaya 498 / 23rd Rabiul-Akhir 1435 / 22nd February
2014
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| from left: Isyaku Bala Ibrahim - Calendar Inventor &seated on the high-table are:Prof. Farouk Abdulrahid Haruna (provost COE Minna) Prof. Muhammed Kuta Yahaya (Commissioner of Information, Communication & Integration), representative of the Hon. Speaker, Niger State House Assembly Alhaji Abdullahi Adamu (Sheshi Katcha) and Alhaji Yahaya S. Dangana (Ratibin Nupe) |
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| from Left: Prof. Farouk, Alh. Abdullahi Adamu (Sheshi Katcha), Prof. M. Kuta Yahaya and Alh. Dangana as they presented the calendar before the audience. |
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| Audience at the calendar presentation on 22-2-2014 |
Minna city has been bombarded by
the media with adverts on the Nupe Calendar presentation, and by 11.00am of
Saturday, the day of the presentation at the Niger State Book Development
Agency (NSBDA)’s hall, it was ready for the august guests as the empty chairs await
their admirers. The earnestness expected of the public was deficient as the waiting
continued with empty seats until few minutes to noon when the master of
ceremony, Sadisu Mohammed popularly known as the ‘Teacher Eyekondunu’, who holds
the title of Etsu Edzó (literally – Nupe Entertainment leader) colonized the
microphone signaling the commencement of the programme.
Seated on the high-table facing
the audiences were the special guests: Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abukabar who
was ably represented by Alhaji Abdullahi Adamu, Sheshi Katcha, the Nupe
Calendar presenter. Alhaji Y. Y. Sani was represented by Alhaji Yahaya S.
Dangana (Ratibin Nupe) as the Chairman of the Occasion; Professor Samuel Kolo Tswanya, Dean of Department of languages,
IBB University Lapai was the guest speaker.
Professor Farouk Haruna Abdul-Rahid, Provost of College of Education, Minna
was the Calendar launcher. Professor
Muhammed Kuta Yahaya, the Honourable Commissioner of Information as the Chief
Host; BM Dzukogi, Director General,
Niger State Book Development Agency as the Host. Others were Chairman, Agaie
LGA who was represented; Students of Hilltop School; HillTopArts Centre members; ANA Members etc.
The host was invited to the
podium to welcome the guests, BM Dzukogi started by thanking the guests for honouring
the invitation, and added that the Agency is actualizing its mandate as 2014
started with stocking the Bookhawker shop, that the second activity was the
Nupe Calendar presentation which is on-going and that in few weeks time the
Agency will publish 20 writers who have written books in different genres across the state. Alhaji Yahaya Dangana who stood
for Alhaji Y. Y. Sani as The Chairman of the programme stressed the importance
of the presentation that it was coming not better time than today and wished the
presenters a fruitful presentation.
Bagándozhi, Etsu Nupe praised the
progresses achieved in recent times in growing indigenous intellectual capacity
through documentation of our traditions especially in Nupe Language. He
stressed further that a lot need to be done to make sure that our tradition and
culture do not go extinct. The leader of the Nupe world commended the inventor
of the Nupe Calendar and NSBDA for the promotion of book and intellectuals in
the state, he pointed as a step in the right direction. He thereafter presented to the audience the Calendar with the Chairman of the Occasion,
guest speaker, and Chief Host.
Professor Samuel Tswanya Kolo
Tswanya, the guest speaker took time to explained the efforts of past writers
who were not Nupes but did extensive research on the Language such as Professor
S. F. Nadal who published the Black
Byzantine – The Nupe Kingdom of Northern Nigeria, Nupe Religion etc. and Professor Roger Blench who did work on the
plants of Nupe Land and lot more. He also commended the inventor of the
calendar and encouraged him to continue to research on the other areas that has
not been touched on different aspects of the language and culture. He also advised the NSBDA on the need to adopt some strategic things like mini signposts to correct some of
the ills in our societies. Comments like ‘Do not Cheat’, ‘Give peace a chance’ could be written on them and stationed at
strategic locations around the state.
On the part of the Calendar launcher,
Prof Farouk pointed out that what he has seen today has given him hope that
good things are coming from our societies. That he is not aware of any tribe
that has its own numeral symbol in the Sub-Saharan Africa let alone Nigeria. He
praised the inventor for leading the way, and for been able to adapt the symbols
in the Calendar as one of the ways the Nupe Numeric Symbols can be used. He
thereafter donated a substantial amount of money to encourage the inventor. And
others followed through till the end of the programme by exactly 2.00pm.
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