The Igbo Women Assembly (IWA) has declared its intention to take legal action against the Lagos State Government over a policy mandating the exclusive teaching of Yoruba Language in public schools.
Speaking at a press briefing in Umuahia on Thursday, IWA’s National President, Mrs. Nneka Chimezie, criticized the policy, arguing that it fails to reflect the diversity of Lagos as a cosmopolitan state.
PlatinumPost reports that IWA operates under the umbrella of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, a prominent Igbo socio-cultural organization.
Chimezie expressed concern over the impact of the policy on non-Yoruba residents, emphasizing the need for inclusivity in language education.
“They should make it open – Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba – should be taught,” she said.
While commending the Yoruba people for their efforts in preserving their language, she urged the Igbo community to take proactive steps in safeguarding the Igbo language from extinction.
As part of this effort, IWA said it is organizing an event on February 21 in Umuahia to mark the United Nations’ Mother Tongue Day. The event aims to bring together influential figures from the Igbo community to deliberate on strategies for preserving their linguistic heritage.
“We are coming together to talk about our language, rob minds to see how we can stop our language from going into extinction.
“We are going to have a roundtable, after which we will come up with a communique,” Chimezie said.
In a separate matter, she called on Anambra State Governor, Charles Soludo, to address concerns regarding the activities of Agunechemba, a local vigilante group, citing reports of extra-judicial killings.
“When they make arrests, they should hand the suspects over to the police for proper investigation and prosecution rather than killing them.
“Agunechemba has no right to arrest and kill, and there have been too much blood-letting and killing of our youths in the South-East,” she added.