ETSU NUPE INAUGURATES NUPE LANGUAGE COMMITTEE AT HIS WADATA PALACE IN BIDA, NIGER STATE, NIGERIA

11th November 2013

Picture - Members from the right: Mr Simon Ndagi, Isyaku Bala Ibrahim, Dr. Dagaci Mambe, Alhaji Alhassan Wasagi, Amb. Solomon Adama Yisa, Barr. Abraham Yisa, Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Dr. Yahaya Abubakar CFR, Prof. Samuel Kolo Tswanya, Alhaji Y.Y. Sani, Mr Theophilus  Sheshi Danjuma, Ndagi Abdullahi, Awal Gata, Dr Muhammad and Ndaiji Nupe  - Member of the Emirate council in charge of tradition arts after the inauguration of the committee on 11th November 2013 at Wadata Palace, Bida, Niger State, Nigeria.

The invited guests assembled at the conference hall of the Wadata Palace, venue of the inauguration by 11:00 am on 11^th November 2013. The actual inauguration ceremony commenced at about 11.30am when His Royal Highness, Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Dr Yahaya Abubakar, CFR stepped into the hall and sat. The convener of the ceremony, Etan Nupe, Ambassador Solomon Yisa introduced the concept of the committee and why the Etsu invited them to be part of this all important committee.

Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abuakar began by thanking the invited members for honouring the invitation. He stated that Nupe people and the language has a long history which led world researchers from within and outside the Kingdom to write so many things about the language and its people, and that most of these people were not necessarily Nupes. But, they were able to tell the world the greatness of the Kingdom and the Nupe people. He added that most of our traditions and customs are facing the threat of extinction things like Èdìn (coded speech), Ecingi (folktale) etc are not longer heard among the young ones as the elderly have refused to pass the wisdom embedded in them to their children. He explained further that he is tasking the committee to go deep and bring them back to life again and lots more.

Bagádozhi, Etsu then read the goals of the Committee as follows:

i.                     to promote Nupe language and culture;

ii.                   to develop curriculum for teaching Nupe language and history in schools from primary to tertiary education;

iii.                  to produce instructional materials and literature in Nupe;

iv.                 to promote Nupe History and heritage; and

v.                   to encourage research & scholarship in Nupe language and history

He thereafter inaugurated the following people who were drawn from the academics, media, business, writing etc across Nupeland  as the members of Nupe Language Committee:

1.       Professor Samuel Kolo Tswanya – Chairman

2.       Professor Muhammad Abdullahi Daniyan, OFR - Member

3.       Professor Ibrahim Adamu Kolo - Member

4.       Professor Sha’aba Idris Jimada - Member

5.       Mr. Sam Nda-Isaiah, Kakaki Nupe – Member

6.       Alhaji Mohammad Idris – Member

7.       Alhaji Alhassan Wasagi – Member

8.       Barrister Abraham Yisa, Galadima Alkali Nupe - Member

9.       Pastor Amos Zubairu Tsado – Member

10.   Engineer Ndagi Aliyu, Wambai Nupe – Member

11.   Mr. J. B. Adams – Member

12.   Ambassador Solomon Adama Yisa, Etan Nupe – Member

13.   Alhaji Y. Y. Sani - Member

14.   Dr Muhammad Umaru Ndagi - Member

15.   Dr Mohammad (Shaba Lafiagi) - Member

16.   Dr Abdullahi Mann - Member

17.   Dr Dagachi Mambe - Member

18.   Mr Theophilus Sheshi Danjuma – Member

19.   Alhaji Ndanusa Yunusa Yakubu, Sarkin Nufawa Katsina - Member

20.   Isyaku Bala Ibrahim – Member

21.   Mr Philip Gana – Member

22.   Mr Timothy Sokomba - Member

23.   Ndagi Abdullahi - Member

24.   Mr Jonathan Gana – Member

25.   Awaal Gata – Member

26.   Reverend Elijah Audu Bokungi Saba - Member

27.   Mr Simon Ndagi Nku – Secretary

28.   Malam Usman Yahaya – Secretariat

He therefore pointed out that the success of this committee will to a large extend be the advancement of the language which will make Nupe language to be among the advanced languages of the world. He then prayed that Allah SWT guide and easy their future deliberations and tasks.