The achievements of SPILC in developing Igbo Language- Mazi Ogbonnaya

     

   THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE SOCIETY FOR THE PROMOTION OF IGBO LANGUAGE AND CULTURE (SPILC): DR. F.C. ỌGBALỤ'S DREAMS ACCOMPLISHED. WHAT WE CAN LEARN.

Any organization or human with optimistic/ strategic plans must surely come to the fruitfulness of deep-rooted success. Any organization with cooperate teams must surely achieve prosperity. That is the case of Ọgbalụ's SPILC. It achieved the following:

1.  Setting up standard Igbo (Igbo izugbe):

           The Standard Igbo period started in 1966 when there was mass return of Igbos from various parts of Nigeria when the clouds of Nigeria/Biafra war were gathering from horizon. That period, many Igbo refugees scattered around every nooks and crannies in Igbo for the purpose of trade. There was a cross-fertilization and diffusion of dialects. Establishing Standardization Committee in 1972 organized the general Igbo through the cross-fertilized dialects. This time, Central Igbo was discarded because it centers in Owere-Ụmụahịa dialects. Standard Igbo now formed the basis for writing Igbo Literature. Igbo now have general names and synonyms. Eg. The central Igbo has ahụekere for groundnut only. But the standard Igbo added other synonyms or dialectal names of others. Now ahụekere is acceptably called ọpapa, ụkpa ala, ashịboko. They are synonyms of ahụekere. SPILC ensured that all Igbos irrespective of their locality, multifarious dialects understand each other without being educated first.

2. The Systematic Teaching of Igbo in Schools:

          Though Igbo had been on the curriculum before SPILC's birth, but SPILC has encouraged its teaching and study. SPILC appealed to make Igbo a subject for the award of the First School Leaving Certificate in Igboland. This made the Anambra State Government to make it a compulsory subject which tool effect in 1979. SPILC sent delegates to old Imo and Anambra's Ministries of Education to discuss ways to improve in teaching Igbo.

3. Orthography Reforms of the Fifties:

          SPILC participated fully to the reform orthography of fifties and was instrumental to the emergence of the pacifying Ọnwụ Committee Orthography of 1961.

4. Creation of Awareness:

          It created awareness both in and outside Igbo land not to project as a human language but as one of the major languages in Nigeria. SPILC made people to come back to their senses regarding Igbo language. SPILC made people appreciate their culture and its beauty which the colonial masters and missionaries made them thrown to limbo.

5. Annual Seminar Organization:

          SPILC had been conducting seminars since 1971 to ensure the growth of Igbo language, literature and culture. The conferences held both in Nigeria and outside Nigeria. Scholars from all walks of life, came together to discuss areas of problems and solutions of those problems militating against Igbo studies. They would jointly make down-to-earth recommendations towards the solution of those problems. It was at such seminar that Standardization Committee was established as a result of thought provoking papers read.

6. Delegations to the University of Nigeria Nsụka and other Universities.

          Many memoranda were written to the University of Nigeria to establish Igbo Language and Literature department in 1980/81 academic session. The SPILC fought for degrees to be awarded in Igbo.
University of Ibadan and University of Lagos were offering Igbo through the efforts of SPILC. SPILC donated a large quantity of Igbo books to the University of Nigeria and promised to do more, during 1980 seminar.

7. Contact with Examination Bodies:

          SPILC through memoranda and delegations had contacted examination bodies which resulted to including Igbo in West African Examinations Council on the 14th August, 1978. It was Chief R.B.K. OKafor who led the delegation. Subsequently, SPILC led Igbo to be includes in the Advanced Level Examinations from 1979.

8. Igbometrics, Scientific and Technological Terminologies:

          The society initiated a workable modern numeration system–Igbometrics, i.e, decimalization of Igbo counting system. Before 1972 seminar, Igbo made use of a traditional system which was cumbersome, inadequate, time consuming and complicated when large number were involved.
Old counting system has:

One as otu
Twenty as ọgụ
Four hundred as nnụ
These were only landmark of counting. Any number running in thousand must be divided up by 400 (nnụ) to get so many multiples. It was confusing and rigorous till 1972 seminar. It was agreed to adopt decimalization system. It has 6 landmarks instead of 3.
Ótù One
Ìrí Ten
Nàrì Hundred
Púkú Thousand
Ndè Million
Ìjèrì Billion.

          This new system is very easy to use. Technologically, SPILC came up with so many scientific terminologies which will enhance teaching of Sciences in Igbo. So many works have been published in mimeograph by the Federal Ministry of Education. Again from 21st to 26th September 1981, the SPILC in collaboration with Nigeria Education Research Council carried out a Metalanguage workshop at the Oguta Motel near Owere. Over forty-two Igbo scholars attended and produced literary terms in the Language. At the end, about 1500 news words came out by the group.

9. Publications:

          Aside books published by the society, it gingered publishing and setting up publishing houses which had hitherto been reluctant in publishing Igbo. Igbo textbooks, poem, drama, prose, spank up.

10. Conduction of Refresher Courses for the Igbo Language Teacher.

          By December 1979, SPILC at the request of the Ministry of Education, Anambra State , ran a Refresher Course in Igbo Language for the Igbo language teachers in the State. It took place both in Anambra and Imo.

11. Institutes of Igbo Studies.

12 Standard Igbo Dictionary:

    The SPILC has embarked on the compilation of Igbo Standard Dictionary which is headed by Prof M.C.J. Echeruo, though lack of fund hindered its production.

13. Award of Academic Prizes:

          The following awards had been instituted by the SPILC to be given to the merited Igbo students and scholars to encourage them do more:
1. The Isaac Iwekanuno Memorial Prize,
2. The Mark Anyaegbunam Memorial Prize,
3 The Spencer Memorial Prize, and
4. The Osita Okeke Trophy Prize.

          The first three prizes are for the West African School Certificate Examinations and are based on the best students in Igbo, the school that records the best result in Igbo, and the school that presents the highest number of candidates for the examination in Igbo in any given year. The fourth is for the best published works in Igbo drama.

          These and other more achievements I cannot state here are the achievements of SPILC. I beckon on all the lovers of Igbo studies to come together let's start from where the SPILC ended to move the vehicle of our linguistic-identity forward.

By

Okoro Mark Ogbonnaya (Maazi Ogbonnaya)