Умерли три выдающихся нигерийских лингвиста, защищавших йоруба как язык обучения

Niyi Akinnaso Follow Us on Google August 12, 2026 by Niyi Akinnaso Remembering scholars of Yoruba language, culture Last week on this column, I paid tribute to Professor Ayo Bamgbose for his pioneering contributions to the study of Yoruba language (see Ayo Bamgbose (1932 – 2026): The linguists’ linguist, The Nation, August 5, 2026). Little did I realise that another first-generation linguist and Yoruba language specialist, Professor Oladele Awobuluyi (July 17, 1937 – August 5, 2026), would die in the early hours of my publication on Bamgbose. It was Dr. Olu Fakiyesi, a medical graduate of the University of Ilorin, where Awobuluyi was a foundation faculty, who, in his response to my tribute to Professor Bamgbose, drew my attention to Awobuluyi’s passing. But another friend, Kola Omotunde-Young, commenting on my tribute to Professor Bamgbose, inadvertently shocked me with the news of the passing at nearly 91 of another advocate of Yoruba language as the medium of instruction in school, namely, Professor Adebisi Afolayan (December 19, 1933 – August 3, 2024). I was shockingly surprised that it took nearly two years before I learned about Professor Afolayan’s passing in this digital age. I found solace in learning during my online search this week that no major newspaper carried the news. However, it was announced on some social media platforms to which I never subscribed. I eventually discovered that he requested the ultimate privacy as a final death wish. The announcement of his death closed with these lines: “In honour of Dad’s request for a private and solemn event, a private interment will hold after the Church service and there will be no reception.” As I reviewed the contributions of these three advocates of the continued reproduction of Yoruba language and its use as a medium of instruction in schools, my mind went to yet another contributor to the study of Yoruba language and culture, who departed almost a decade ago, namely, Professor Akinwumi Ishola, whom I also eulogised at the time (see Akinwumi Ishola: A giant in his own right, The Punch, February 20, 2018). As I indicated in my 2018 eulogy, Professor Ishola was not just a student of Yoruba, he was an avid user and practitioner of the language in every possible context. He wrote plays, novels, and his own autobiography in Yoruba. He spoke the language on stage and even gave a convocation lecture in Yoruba at the Adekunle Ajasin University. Throughout his life, he carried Yoruba language and culture on his tongue and in his outfit so much so that you might never know that he could speak English or French, the subject of his first degree. The rest of this essay shall be devoted to Professors Awobuluyi and Afolayan. Awobuluyi and I crossed paths twice, once in 1983 and then in 2013. We first met at the African Linguistics Conference at Stanford University in the United States in 1983 and then at Adekunle Ajasin University Akungba Akoko in Nigeria thirty years later. He had just ended his contract appointment at AAUA, while I was just embarking on mine. The occasion was a send-off ceremony in his honour. Like Bamgbose, Awobuluyi was a linguist in the professional sense of the term. They both studied Yoruba grammar and published extensively on the subject. While Bamgbose birthed linguistics at Ibadan, Awobuluyi did the same in Ilorin. However, while Awobuluyi focused more on the internal structure of Yoruba language, Bamgbose branched out to language policy, mother tongue education, and the more expansive field of sociolinguistics. Read Also: Tinubu seeks stronger global action against insecurity My relationship with Professor Afolayan was much more profound even if occasionally frosty, although only for professional reasons. He and I were in the same Department for nearly a decade. However, in 1976, by promotion or appointment, four Nigerian full Professors converged on the Department of English, each with a unique specialty. They were Wole Soyinka, Oyin Ogunba, David Oke, and Afolayan. In recognition of their distinctive specialties and for other reasons, Professor Ojetunji Aboyade, then Vice Chancellor, split the Department into four—Theatre Arts (Soyinka), Literature in English (Ogunba), Linguistics (Oke) and Language Arts (Afolayan). The underlying politics of the split is reserved for another day. Although others were allowed to join one or other of these Departments, depending on their disciplinary orientation, Professor Afolayan strongly opposed my transfer to the Department of Linguistics on the argument that I would be useful in teaching the required Linguistics courses in his newly created Department of Language Arts. However, in reaction to my appeal, Professor B. O. Oloruntimehin, then Dean of Arts, supported my transfer and so recommended to the Vice Chancellor. While agreeing with Afolayan that I would be useful to his Department, Professor Oloruntimehin put his weight behind my appeal that the Department of Linguisitcs would be better suited to my career aspirations and the maximisation of my productivity. The Vice Chancellor agreed. True, Afolayan was a specialist on English as a Second Language, he nevertheless was a strong advocate of the use of Yoruba as the medium of instruction in school. The advocacy was intensified by his participation in the famous Ife Six-Year Primary Education project along with Professor Babs Fafunwa, Professor Oke, and others. Indeed, Professor Afolayan so believed in the project that his own son was among the experimental cohort. If nothing else, this is testament to Professor Afolayan’s faith in the success of any project he embarked upon. And, to be fair, he was a devout Christian. These scholars no doubt left indelible legacies on the study and propagation of Yoruba language and culture. What is important now is to explore ways of capitalising on their works in the reproduction of Yoruba language and culture for generations to come. It must be emphasised that language is the most potent agent of cultural reproduction. When we fail to socialise our children into Yoruba culture through the Yoruba language, by speaking English to them at home, we are depriving them of a base for ethnic identity. At the end of the day, they will be neither Yoruba nor English. 📢 ADVERTISEMENT DISCLAIMER: Links above are sponsored posts. The Nation assumes no liability or responsibility for the claims, products, or services offered by third-party advertisers. Proceed with discretion. Stay informed and ahead of the curve! Follow The Nation Newspaper on WhatsApp for real-time updates, breaking news, and exclusive content. Don't miss a headline — join now! Join The Nation Channel Get instant breaking news and exclusive updates right on your feed! Subscribe to The Nation Newspaper Telegram channel and never miss a headline. Join The Nation on Telegram