One of the worst injustices we can do to Nigerian children is to deny them the opportunity to speak the languages of their parents. This injustice is often committed quietly and sometimes with good intentions. Parents living in Lagos, Abuja, London, New York, Toronto, Halifax or elsewhere may decide to speak only English to their children because they want them to master a “world language”. Some believe that teaching an indigenous language will confuse the child or slow down his or her English. Others simply never think deeply about what the child loses. What the child loses, however, is much more than vocabulary.I have seen passionate young Nigerians who grew up in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom excel in their professions and identify strongly with Nigeria yet struggle to communicate in any Nigerian language. When they visit Nigeria, some are treated as though they are not Nigerian enough. In their countries of birth or residence, they may also be regarded as not fully belonging.The problem can become more painful for Nigerians in entertainment, particularly those who are frequently interviewed. They may love Nigeria passionately, sometimes even more passionately than some people who were born and raised here, but their inability to speak an indigenous language or even Nigerian Pidgin can leave them feeling that something is missing.For comedians, the disadvantage can be even greater. Humour depends heavily on language, culture, expressions and shared experiences. A Nigerian comedian who cannot speak a Nigerian language may understand the joke but struggle to reproduce the cultural flavour that makes it resonate with the audience. There is no good reason for this.There is also a practical reason to take this seriously. Language creates access. A child who speaks the language of his or her parents can have conversations that would otherwise be impossible. Such a child can listen to family stories without waiting for translation, understand jokes that lose their meaning in English, greet elders properly and build relationships across generations. A language can become a bridge between a child and relatives who may not be comfortable speaking English.The loss is often felt later in life. A young person may become more interested in his or her heritage at 20, 30 or 40 and suddenly discover that the language that could have brought that heritage alive was never taught. By then, grandparents may have died, family conversations may have been lost, and the opportunity for effortless learning may have passed. The person may then have to study formally what could have been acquired naturally at home.Parents should also resist the fear of an accent. Some parents worry that speaking an indigenous language will make their children speak English with a foreign accent or perform poorly at school. There is little sense in sacrificing a cultural inheritance because of such fears. Children can learn to distinguish languages and contexts. They can speak Igbo with their parents, English at school and perhaps another language with friends. The human brain is capable of that flexibility.The key is consistency. A language that is spoken only during Christmas visits to Nigeria will struggle to survive. A language spoken every day at home has a chance. Parents should make indigenous language normal rather than ceremonial.We should, therefore, stop asking whether our children are capable of learning our languages. The better question is whether we are committed enough to teach them. Children are remarkably capable language learners. They can learn several languages and switch between them with astonishing ease. If parents come from different ethnic groups, or even different racial backgrounds, that should be an advantage, not an obstacle. The father can teach his language. The mother can teach hers. The child can learn both, alongside English.I decided before I got married that my children must speak Igbo very well, regardless of where we lived or whom I married. Some friends told me it was easier said than done. I simply said, “Okay, we shall see.” When I got married, I was fortunate that my wife had no objection to our children learning Igbo. As soon as they began to talk, the work started. At home, whenever they wanted something, we asked them to say it in Igbo. If they could not, we helped them. Whatever we wanted to tell them, we said in Igbo. If they did not understand, we explained it in English and repeated it in Igbo.Related NewsNigeria keep Olympic hope despite world champs withdrawalNDLEA, Army seize 604.5kg cannabis, hunt Edo drug kingpinVisa processing shift won’t affect Abuja embassy operations – USWe also took their English seriously. We bought them storybooks, novels, science books, animal books, and others. We corrected their grammar, vocabulary and tenses. The result was not a child who was poor in English because he or she had learnt Igbo. Our children consistently excelled in English at school, even though they eventually pursued STEM subjects.At school, church and other events, parents sometimes asked us how our children could speak Igbo so well. “Did they grow up in the village?” they would ask. When we said no, they were surprised. But there was nothing magical about it. We taught them. And every parent can do it.After seeing what our children could do with the Igbo language, I decided to conduct an informal experiment with our Boerboel. I named her Aguiyi, meaning “crocodile”, and taught her commands such as come, sit, eat, and stop in Igbo. She learnt them. If a dog can learn Igbo commands, how can we assume that our exceptionally intelligent children cannot learn Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, Edo, Urhobo, Efik, Ibibio, Isoko, Kalabari, Idoma or any other Nigerian language?I have encountered Nigerian children born and raised in Germany, Italy, Britain, China, the USA and Canada who speak excellent Nigerian languages alongside other languages. It is not magic. If you teach children a language and give them enough opportunity to use it, they will learn it.But let us state that parents who failed to do this in the past should not feel condemned. Ignorance can be corrected. It is never too late to begin. Start speaking your language at home. If the child responds in English, answer in your language. Teach the words patiently. Read books. Sing songs. Tell stories. Let grandparents and relatives participate. Don’t allow visitors to speak English to them. Create opportunities for the language to live.And please do not cut your children off from their roots in the name of exposing them to “world languages”. English will not disappear because a Nigerian child learns Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa or another indigenous language. In fact, learning one language can make it easier to appreciate the structure and richness of others.Our languages carry our histories, humour, values, proverbs, names, memories and ways of seeing the world. When we refuse to pass them on, we are not merely withholding words. We are withholding a part of identity and heritage.Every Nigerian child should have the opportunity to know the language of his or her parents. Whether the child grows up in Nnewi, Abuja, Lagos, London, Berlin, Vancouver or Halifax should not determine whether that inheritance survives.Teaching children their parents’ indigenous languages should be treated as a responsibility and, in a broader sense, as a human right: the right to know where one comes from, to communicate with one’s people and to inherit the cultural wealth of one’s family. We should give our children roots and wings. The world will teach them how to fly. We must make sure they know where they came from.X: @BrandAzuka I have seen passionate young Nigerians who grew up in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom excel in their professions and identify strongly with Nigeria yet struggle to communicate in any Nigerian language. When they visit Nigeria, some are treated as though they are not Nigerian enough. In their countries of birth or residence, they may also be regarded as not fully belonging.The problem can become more painful for Nigerians in entertainment, particularly those who are frequently interviewed. They may love Nigeria passionately, sometimes even more passionately than some people who were born and raised here, but their inability to speak an indigenous language or even Nigerian Pidgin can leave them feeling that something is missing.For comedians, the disadvantage can be even greater. Humour depends heavily on language, culture, expressions and shared experiences. A Nigerian comedian who cannot speak a Nigerian language may understand the joke but struggle to reproduce the cultural flavour that makes it resonate with the audience. There is no good reason for this.There is also a practical reason to take this seriously. Language creates access. A child who speaks the language of his or her parents can have conversations that would otherwise be impossible. Such a child can listen to family stories without waiting for translation, understand jokes that lose their meaning in English, greet elders properly and build relationships across generations. A language can become a bridge between a child and relatives who may not be comfortable speaking English.The loss is often felt later in life. A young person may become more interested in his or her heritage at 20, 30 or 40 and suddenly discover that the language that could have brought that heritage alive was never taught. By then, grandparents may have died, family conversations may have been lost, and the opportunity for effortless learning may have passed. The person may then have to study formally what could have been acquired naturally at home.Parents should also resist the fear of an accent. Some parents worry that speaking an indigenous language will make their children speak English with a foreign accent or perform poorly at school. There is little sense in sacrificing a cultural inheritance because of such fears. Children can learn to distinguish languages and contexts. They can speak Igbo with their parents, English at school and perhaps another language with friends. The human brain is capable of that flexibility.The key is consistency. A language that is spoken only during Christmas visits to Nigeria will struggle to survive. A language spoken every day at home has a chance. Parents should make indigenous language normal rather than ceremonial.We should, therefore, stop asking whether our children are capable of learning our languages. The better question is whether we are committed enough to teach them. Children are remarkably capable language learners. They can learn several languages and switch between them with astonishing ease. If parents come from different ethnic groups, or even different racial backgrounds, that should be an advantage, not an obstacle. The father can teach his language. The mother can teach hers. The child can learn both, alongside English.I decided before I got married that my children must speak Igbo very well, regardless of where we lived or whom I married. Some friends told me it was easier said than done. I simply said, “Okay, we shall see.” When I got married, I was fortunate that my wife had no objection to our children learning Igbo. As soon as they began to talk, the work started. At home, whenever they wanted something, we asked them to say it in Igbo. If they could not, we helped them. Whatever we wanted to tell them, we said in Igbo. If they did not understand, we explained it in English and repeated it in Igbo.Related NewsNigeria keep Olympic hope despite world champs withdrawalNDLEA, Army seize 604.5kg cannabis, hunt Edo drug kingpinVisa processing shift won’t affect Abuja embassy operations – USWe also took their English seriously. We bought them storybooks, novels, science books, animal books, and others. We corrected their grammar, vocabulary and tenses. The result was not a child who was poor in English because he or she had learnt Igbo. Our children consistently excelled in English at school, even though they eventually pursued STEM subjects.At school, church and other events, parents sometimes asked us how our children could speak Igbo so well. “Did they grow up in the village?” they would ask. When we said no, they were surprised. But there was nothing magical about it. We taught them. And every parent can do it.After seeing what our children could do with the Igbo language, I decided to conduct an informal experiment with our Boerboel. I named her Aguiyi, meaning “crocodile”, and taught her commands such as come, sit, eat, and stop in Igbo. She learnt them. If a dog can learn Igbo commands, how can we assume that our exceptionally intelligent children cannot learn Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, Edo, Urhobo, Efik, Ibibio, Isoko, Kalabari, Idoma or any other Nigerian language?I have encountered Nigerian children born and raised in Germany, Italy, Britain, China, the USA and Canada who speak excellent Nigerian languages alongside other languages. It is not magic. If you teach children a language and give them enough opportunity to use it, they will learn it.But let us state that parents who failed to do this in the past should not feel condemned. Ignorance can be corrected. It is never too late to begin. Start speaking your language at home. If the child responds in English, answer in your language. Teach the words patiently. Read books. Sing songs. Tell stories. Let grandparents and relatives participate. Don’t allow visitors to speak English to them. Create opportunities for the language to live.And please do not cut your children off from their roots in the name of exposing them to “world languages”. English will not disappear because a Nigerian child learns Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa or another indigenous language. In fact, learning one language can make it easier to appreciate the structure and richness of others.Our languages carry our histories, humour, values, proverbs, names, memories and ways of seeing the world. When we refuse to pass them on, we are not merely withholding words. We are withholding a part of identity and heritage.Every Nigerian child should have the opportunity to know the language of his or her parents. Whether the child grows up in Nnewi, Abuja, Lagos, London, Berlin, Vancouver or Halifax should not determine whether that inheritance survives.Teaching children their parents’ indigenous languages should be treated as a responsibility and, in a broader sense, as a human right: the right to know where one comes from, to communicate with one’s people and to inherit the cultural wealth of one’s family. We should give our children roots and wings. The world will teach them how to fly. We must make sure they know where they came from.X: @BrandAzuka The problem can become more painful for Nigerians in entertainment, particularly those who are frequently interviewed. They may love Nigeria passionately, sometimes even more passionately than some people who were born and raised here, but their inability to speak an indigenous language or even Nigerian Pidgin can leave them feeling that something is missing.For comedians, the disadvantage can be even greater. Humour depends heavily on language, culture, expressions and shared experiences. A Nigerian comedian who cannot speak a Nigerian language may understand the joke but struggle to reproduce the cultural flavour that makes it resonate with the audience. There is no good reason for this.There is also a practical reason to take this seriously. Language creates access. A child who speaks the language of his or her parents can have conversations that would otherwise be impossible. Such a child can listen to family stories without waiting for translation, understand jokes that lose their meaning in English, greet elders properly and build relationships across generations. A language can become a bridge between a child and relatives who may not be comfortable speaking English.The loss is often felt later in life. A young person may become more interested in his or her heritage at 20, 30 or 40 and suddenly discover that the language that could have brought that heritage alive was never taught. By then, grandparents may have died, family conversations may have been lost, and the opportunity for effortless learning may have passed. The person may then have to study formally what could have been acquired naturally at home.Parents should also resist the fear of an accent. Some parents worry that speaking an indigenous language will make their children speak English with a foreign accent or perform poorly at school. There is little sense in sacrificing a cultural inheritance because of such fears. Children can learn to distinguish languages and contexts. They can speak Igbo with their parents, English at school and perhaps another language with friends. The human brain is capable of that flexibility.The key is consistency. A language that is spoken only during Christmas visits to Nigeria will struggle to survive. A language spoken every day at home has a chance. Parents should make indigenous language normal rather than ceremonial.We should, therefore, stop asking whether our children are capable of learning our languages. The better question is whether we are committed enough to teach them. Children are remarkably capable language learners. They can learn several languages and switch between them with astonishing ease. If parents come from different ethnic groups, or even different racial backgrounds, that should be an advantage, not an obstacle. The father can teach his language. The mother can teach hers. The child can learn both, alongside English.I decided before I got married that my children must speak Igbo very well, regardless of where we lived or whom I married. Some friends told me it was easier said than done. I simply said, “Okay, we shall see.” When I got married, I was fortunate that my wife had no objection to our children learning Igbo. As soon as they began to talk, the work started. At home, whenever they wanted something, we asked them to say it in Igbo. If they could not, we helped them. Whatever we wanted to tell them, we said in Igbo. If they did not understand, we explained it in English and repeated it in Igbo.Related NewsNigeria keep Olympic hope despite world champs withdrawalNDLEA, Army seize 604.5kg cannabis, hunt Edo drug kingpinVisa processing shift won’t affect Abuja embassy operations – USWe also took their English seriously. We bought them storybooks, novels, science books, animal books, and others. We corrected their grammar, vocabulary and tenses. The result was not a child who was poor in English because he or she had learnt Igbo. Our children consistently excelled in English at school, even though they eventually pursued STEM subjects.At school, church and other events, parents sometimes asked us how our children could speak Igbo so well. “Did they grow up in the village?” they would ask. When we said no, they were surprised. But there was nothing magical about it. We taught them. And every parent can do it.After seeing what our children could do with the Igbo language, I decided to conduct an informal experiment with our Boerboel. I named her Aguiyi, meaning “crocodile”, and taught her commands such as come, sit, eat, and stop in Igbo. She learnt them. If a dog can learn Igbo commands, how can we assume that our exceptionally intelligent children cannot learn Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, Edo, Urhobo, Efik, Ibibio, Isoko, Kalabari, Idoma or any other Nigerian language?I have encountered Nigerian children born and raised in Germany, Italy, Britain, China, the USA and Canada who speak excellent Nigerian languages alongside other languages. It is not magic. If you teach children a language and give them enough opportunity to use it, they will learn it.But let us state that parents who failed to do this in the past should not feel condemned. Ignorance can be corrected. It is never too late to begin. Start speaking your language at home. If the child responds in English, answer in your language. Teach the words patiently. Read books. Sing songs. Tell stories. Let grandparents and relatives participate. Don’t allow visitors to speak English to them. Create opportunities for the language to live.And please do not cut your children off from their roots in the name of exposing them to “world languages”. English will not disappear because a Nigerian child learns Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa or another indigenous language. In fact, learning one language can make it easier to appreciate the structure and richness of others.Our languages carry our histories, humour, values, proverbs, names, memories and ways of seeing the world. When we refuse to pass them on, we are not merely withholding words. We are withholding a part of identity and heritage.Every Nigerian child should have the opportunity to know the language of his or her parents. Whether the child grows up in Nnewi, Abuja, Lagos, London, Berlin, Vancouver or Halifax should not determine whether that inheritance survives.Teaching children their parents’ indigenous languages should be treated as a responsibility and, in a broader sense, as a human right: the right to know where one comes from, to communicate with one’s people and to inherit the cultural wealth of one’s family. We should give our children roots and wings. The world will teach them how to fly. We must make sure they know where they came from.X: @BrandAzuka For comedians, the disadvantage can be even greater. Humour depends heavily on language, culture, expressions and shared experiences. A Nigerian comedian who cannot speak a Nigerian language may understand the joke but struggle to reproduce the cultural flavour that makes it resonate with the audience. There is no good reason for this.There is also a practical reason to take this seriously. Language creates access. A child who speaks the language of his or her parents can have conversations that would otherwise be impossible. Such a child can listen to family stories without waiting for translation, understand jokes that lose their meaning in English, greet elders properly and build relationships across generations. A language can become a bridge between a child and relatives who may not be comfortable speaking English.The loss is often felt later in life. A young person may become more interested in his or her heritage at 20, 30 or 40 and suddenly discover that the language that could have brought that heritage alive was never taught. By then, grandparents may have died, family conversations may have been lost, and the opportunity for effortless learning may have passed. The person may then have to study formally what could have been acquired naturally at home.Parents should also resist the fear of an accent. Some parents worry that speaking an indigenous language will make their children speak English with a foreign accent or perform poorly at school. There is little sense in sacrificing a cultural inheritance because of such fears. Children can learn to distinguish languages and contexts. They can speak Igbo with their parents, English at school and perhaps another language with friends. The human brain is capable of that flexibility.The key is consistency. A language that is spoken only during Christmas visits to Nigeria will struggle to survive. A language spoken every day at home has a chance. Parents should make indigenous language normal rather than ceremonial.We should, therefore, stop asking whether our children are capable of learning our languages. The better question is whether we are committed enough to teach them. Children are remarkably capable language learners. They can learn several languages and switch between them with astonishing ease. If parents come from different ethnic groups, or even different racial backgrounds, that should be an advantage, not an obstacle. The father can teach his language. The mother can teach hers. The child can learn both, alongside English.I decided before I got married that my children must speak Igbo very well, regardless of where we lived or whom I married. Some friends told me it was easier said than done. I simply said, “Okay, we shall see.” When I got married, I was fortunate that my wife had no objection to our children learning Igbo. As soon as they began to talk, the work started. At home, whenever they wanted something, we asked them to say it in Igbo. If they could not, we helped them. Whatever we wanted to tell them, we said in Igbo. If they did not understand, we explained it in English and repeated it in Igbo.Related NewsNigeria keep Olympic hope despite world champs withdrawalNDLEA, Army seize 604.5kg cannabis, hunt Edo drug kingpinVisa processing shift won’t affect Abuja embassy operations – USWe also took their English seriously. We bought them storybooks, novels, science books, animal books, and others. We corrected their grammar, vocabulary and tenses. The result was not a child who was poor in English because he or she had learnt Igbo. Our children consistently excelled in English at school, even though they eventually pursued STEM subjects.At school, church and other events, parents sometimes asked us how our children could speak Igbo so well. “Did they grow up in the village?” they would ask. When we said no, they were surprised. But there was nothing magical about it. We taught them. And every parent can do it.After seeing what our children could do with the Igbo language, I decided to conduct an informal experiment with our Boerboel. I named her Aguiyi, meaning “crocodile”, and taught her commands such as come, sit, eat, and stop in Igbo. She learnt them. If a dog can learn Igbo commands, how can we assume that our exceptionally intelligent children cannot learn Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, Edo, Urhobo, Efik, Ibibio, Isoko, Kalabari, Idoma or any other Nigerian language?I have encountered Nigerian children born and raised in Germany, Italy, Britain, China, the USA and Canada who speak excellent Nigerian languages alongside other languages. It is not magic. If you teach children a language and give them enough opportunity to use it, they will learn it.But let us state that parents who failed to do this in the past should not feel condemned. Ignorance can be corrected. It is never too late to begin. Start speaking your language at home. If the child responds in English, answer in your language. Teach the words patiently. Read books. Sing songs. Tell stories. Let grandparents and relatives participate. Don’t allow visitors to speak English to them. Create opportunities for the language to live.And please do not cut your children off from their roots in the name of exposing them to “world languages”. English will not disappear because a Nigerian child learns Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa or another indigenous language. In fact, learning one language can make it easier to appreciate the structure and richness of others.Our languages carry our histories, humour, values, proverbs, names, memories and ways of seeing the world. When we refuse to pass them on, we are not merely withholding words. We are withholding a part of identity and heritage.Every Nigerian child should have the opportunity to know the language of his or her parents. Whether the child grows up in Nnewi, Abuja, Lagos, London, Berlin, Vancouver or Halifax should not determine whether that inheritance survives.Teaching children their parents’ indigenous languages should be treated as a responsibility and, in a broader sense, as a human right: the right to know where one comes from, to communicate with one’s people and to inherit the cultural wealth of one’s family. We should give our children roots and wings. The world will teach them how to fly. We must make sure they know where they came from.X: @BrandAzuka There is also a practical reason to take this seriously. Language creates access. A child who speaks the language of his or her parents can have conversations that would otherwise be impossible. Such a child can listen to family stories without waiting for translation, understand jokes that lose their meaning in English, greet elders properly and build relationships across generations. A language can become a bridge between a child and relatives who may not be comfortable speaking English.The loss is often felt later in life. A young person may become more interested in his or her heritage at 20, 30 or 40 and suddenly discover that the language that could have brought that heritage alive was never taught. By then, grandparents may have died, family conversations may have been lost, and the opportunity for effortless learning may have passed. The person may then have to study formally what could have been acquired naturally at home.Parents should also resist the fear of an accent. Some parents worry that speaking an indigenous language will make their children speak English with a foreign accent or perform poorly at school. There is little sense in sacrificing a cultural inheritance because of such fears. Children can learn to distinguish languages and contexts. They can speak Igbo with their parents, English at school and perhaps another language with friends. The human brain is capable of that flexibility.The key is consistency. A language that is spoken only during Christmas visits to Nigeria will struggle to survive. A language spoken every day at home has a chance. Parents should make indigenous language normal rather than ceremonial.We should, therefore, stop asking whether our children are capable of learning our languages. The better question is whether we are committed enough to teach them. Children are remarkably capable language learners. They can learn several languages and switch between them with astonishing ease. If parents come from different ethnic groups, or even different racial backgrounds, that should be an advantage, not an obstacle. The father can teach his language. The mother can teach hers. The child can learn both, alongside English.I decided before I got married that my children must speak Igbo very well, regardless of where we lived or whom I married. Some friends told me it was easier said than done. I simply said, “Okay, we shall see.” When I got married, I was fortunate that my wife had no objection to our children learning Igbo. As soon as they began to talk, the work started. At home, whenever they wanted something, we asked them to say it in Igbo. If they could not, we helped them. Whatever we wanted to tell them, we said in Igbo. If they did not understand, we explained it in English and repeated it in Igbo.Related NewsNigeria keep Olympic hope despite world champs withdrawalNDLEA, Army seize 604.5kg cannabis, hunt Edo drug kingpinVisa processing shift won’t affect Abuja embassy operations – USWe also took their English seriously. We bought them storybooks, novels, science books, animal books, and others. We corrected their grammar, vocabulary and tenses. The result was not a child who was poor in English because he or she had learnt Igbo. Our children consistently excelled in English at school, even though they eventually pursued STEM subjects.At school, church and other events, parents sometimes asked us how our children could speak Igbo so well. “Did they grow up in the village?” they would ask. When we said no, they were surprised. But there was nothing magical about it. We taught them. And every parent can do it.After seeing what our children could do with the Igbo language, I decided to conduct an informal experiment with our Boerboel. I named her Aguiyi, meaning “crocodile”, and taught her commands such as come, sit, eat, and stop in Igbo. She learnt them. If a dog can learn Igbo commands, how can we assume that our exceptionally intelligent children cannot learn Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, Edo, Urhobo, Efik, Ibibio, Isoko, Kalabari, Idoma or any other Nigerian language?I have encountered Nigerian children born and raised in Germany, Italy, Britain, China, the USA and Canada who speak excellent Nigerian languages alongside other languages. It is not magic. If you teach children a language and give them enough opportunity to use it, they will learn it.But let us state that parents who failed to do this in the past should not feel condemned. Ignorance can be corrected. It is never too late to begin. Start speaking your language at home. If the child responds in English, answer in your language. Teach the words patiently. Read books. Sing songs. Tell stories. Let grandparents and relatives participate. Don’t allow visitors to speak English to them. Create opportunities for the language to live.And please do not cut your children off from their roots in the name of exposing them to “world languages”. English will not disappear because a Nigerian child learns Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa or another indigenous language. In fact, learning one language can make it easier to appreciate the structure and richness of others.Our languages carry our histories, humour, values, proverbs, names, memories and ways of seeing the world. When we refuse to pass them on, we are not merely withholding words. We are withholding a part of identity and heritage.Every Nigerian child should have the opportunity to know the language of his or her parents. Whether the child grows up in Nnewi, Abuja, Lagos, London, Berlin, Vancouver or Halifax should not determine whether that inheritance survives.Teaching children their parents’ indigenous languages should be treated as a responsibility and, in a broader sense, as a human right: the right to know where one comes from, to communicate with one’s people and to inherit the cultural wealth of one’s family. We should give our children roots and wings. The world will teach them how to fly. We must make sure they know where they came from.X: @BrandAzuka The loss is often felt later in life. A young person may become more interested in his or her heritage at 20, 30 or 40 and suddenly discover that the language that could have brought that heritage alive was never taught. By then, grandparents may have died, family conversations may have been lost, and the opportunity for effortless learning may have passed. The person may then have to study formally what could have been acquired naturally at home.Parents should also resist the fear of an accent. Some parents worry that speaking an indigenous language will make their children speak English with a foreign accent or perform poorly at school. There is little sense in sacrificing a cultural inheritance because of such fears. Children can learn to distinguish languages and contexts. They can speak Igbo with their parents, English at school and perhaps another language with friends. The human brain is capable of that flexibility.The key is consistency. A language that is spoken only during Christmas visits to Nigeria will struggle to survive. A language spoken every day at home has a chance. Parents should make indigenous language normal rather than ceremonial.We should, therefore, stop asking whether our children are capable of learning our languages. The better question is whether we are committed enough to teach them. Children are remarkably capable language learners. They can learn several languages and switch between them with astonishing ease. If parents come from different ethnic groups, or even different racial backgrounds, that should be an advantage, not an obstacle. The father can teach his language. The mother can teach hers. The child can learn both, alongside English.I decided before I got married that my children must speak Igbo very well, regardless of where we lived or whom I married. Some friends told me it was easier said than done. I simply said, “Okay, we shall see.” When I got married, I was fortunate that my wife had no objection to our children learning Igbo. As soon as they began to talk, the work started. At home, whenever they wanted something, we asked them to say it in Igbo. If they could not, we helped them. Whatever we wanted to tell them, we said in Igbo. If they did not understand, we explained it in English and repeated it in Igbo.Related NewsNigeria keep Olympic hope despite world champs withdrawalNDLEA, Army seize 604.5kg cannabis, hunt Edo drug kingpinVisa processing shift won’t affect Abuja embassy operations – USWe also took their English seriously. We bought them storybooks, novels, science books, animal books, and others. We corrected their grammar, vocabulary and tenses. The result was not a child who was poor in English because he or she had learnt Igbo. Our children consistently excelled in English at school, even though they eventually pursued STEM subjects.At school, church and other events, parents sometimes asked us how our children could speak Igbo so well. “Did they grow up in the village?” they would ask. When we said no, they were surprised. But there was nothing magical about it. We taught them. And every parent can do it.After seeing what our children could do with the Igbo language, I decided to conduct an informal experiment with our Boerboel. I named her Aguiyi, meaning “crocodile”, and taught her commands such as come, sit, eat, and stop in Igbo. She learnt them. If a dog can learn Igbo commands, how can we assume that our exceptionally intelligent children cannot learn Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, Edo, Urhobo, Efik, Ibibio, Isoko, Kalabari, Idoma or any other Nigerian language?I have encountered Nigerian children born and raised in Germany, Italy, Britain, China, the USA and Canada who speak excellent Nigerian languages alongside other languages. It is not magic. If you teach children a language and give them enough opportunity to use it, they will learn it.But let us state that parents who failed to do this in the past should not feel condemned. Ignorance can be corrected. It is never too late to begin. Start speaking your language at home. If the child responds in English, answer in your language. Teach the words patiently. Read books. Sing songs. Tell stories. Let grandparents and relatives participate. Don’t allow visitors to speak English to them. Create opportunities for the language to live.And please do not cut your children off from their roots in the name of exposing them to “world languages”. English will not disappear because a Nigerian child learns Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa or another indigenous language. In fact, learning one language can make it easier to appreciate the structure and richness of others.Our languages carry our histories, humour, values, proverbs, names, memories and ways of seeing the world. When we refuse to pass them on, we are not merely withholding words. We are withholding a part of identity and heritage.Every Nigerian child should have the opportunity to know the language of his or her parents. Whether the child grows up in Nnewi, Abuja, Lagos, London, Berlin, Vancouver or Halifax should not determine whether that inheritance survives.Teaching children their parents’ indigenous languages should be treated as a responsibility and, in a broader sense, as a human right: the right to know where one comes from, to communicate with one’s people and to inherit the cultural wealth of one’s family. We should give our children roots and wings. The world will teach them how to fly. We must make sure they know where they came from.X: @BrandAzuka Parents should also resist the fear of an accent. Some parents worry that speaking an indigenous language will make their children speak English with a foreign accent or perform poorly at school. There is little sense in sacrificing a cultural inheritance because of such fears. Children can learn to distinguish languages and contexts. They can speak Igbo with their parents, English at school and perhaps another language with friends. The human brain is capable of that flexibility.The key is consistency. A language that is spoken only during Christmas visits to Nigeria will struggle to survive. A language spoken every day at home has a chance. Parents should make indigenous language normal rather than ceremonial.We should, therefore, stop asking whether our children are capable of learning our languages. The better question is whether we are committed enough to teach them. Children are remarkably capable language learners. They can learn several languages and switch between them with astonishing ease. If parents come from different ethnic groups, or even different racial backgrounds, that should be an advantage, not an obstacle. The father can teach his language. The mother can teach hers. The child can learn both, alongside English.I decided before I got married that my children must speak Igbo very well, regardless of where we lived or whom I married. Some friends told me it was easier said than done. I simply said, “Okay, we shall see.” When I got married, I was fortunate that my wife had no objection to our children learning Igbo. As soon as they began to talk, the work started. At home, whenever they wanted something, we asked them to say it in Igbo. If they could not, we helped them. Whatever we wanted to tell them, we said in Igbo. If they did not understand, we explained it in English and repeated it in Igbo.Related NewsNigeria keep Olympic hope despite world champs withdrawalNDLEA, Army seize 604.5kg cannabis, hunt Edo drug kingpinVisa processing shift won’t affect Abuja embassy operations – USWe also took their English seriously. We bought them storybooks, novels, science books, animal books, and others. We corrected their grammar, vocabulary and tenses. The result was not a child who was poor in English because he or she had learnt Igbo. Our children consistently excelled in English at school, even though they eventually pursued STEM subjects.At school, church and other events, parents sometimes asked us how our children could speak Igbo so well. “Did they grow up in the village?” they would ask. When we said no, they were surprised. But there was nothing magical about it. We taught them. And every parent can do it.After seeing what our children could do with the Igbo language, I decided to conduct an informal experiment with our Boerboel. I named her Aguiyi, meaning “crocodile”, and taught her commands such as come, sit, eat, and stop in Igbo. She learnt them. If a dog can learn Igbo commands, how can we assume that our exceptionally intelligent children cannot learn Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, Edo, Urhobo, Efik, Ibibio, Isoko, Kalabari, Idoma or any other Nigerian language?I have encountered Nigerian children born and raised in Germany, Italy, Britain, China, the USA and Canada who speak excellent Nigerian languages alongside other languages. It is not magic. If you teach children a language and give them enough opportunity to use it, they will learn it.But let us state that parents who failed to do this in the past should not feel condemned. Ignorance can be corrected. It is never too late to begin. Start speaking your language at home. If the child responds in English, answer in your language. Teach the words patiently. Read books. Sing songs. Tell stories. Let grandparents and relatives participate. Don’t allow visitors to speak English to them. Create opportunities for the language to live.And please do not cut your children off from their roots in the name of exposing them to “world languages”. English will not disappear because a Nigerian child learns Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa or another indigenous language. In fact, learning one language can make it easier to appreciate the structure and richness of others.Our languages carry our histories, humour, values, proverbs, names, memories and ways of seeing the world. When we refuse to pass them on, we are not merely withholding words. We are withholding a part of identity and heritage.Every Nigerian child should have the opportunity to know the language of his or her parents. Whether the child grows up in Nnewi, Abuja, Lagos, London, Berlin, Vancouver or Halifax should not determine whether that inheritance survives.Teaching children their parents’ indigenous languages should be treated as a responsibility and, in a broader sense, as a human right: the right to know where one comes from, to communicate with one’s people and to inherit the cultural wealth of one’s family. We should give our children roots and wings. The world will teach them how to fly. We must make sure they know where they came from.X: @BrandAzuka The key is consistency. A language that is spoken only during Christmas visits to Nigeria will struggle to survive. A language spoken every day at home has a chance. Parents should make indigenous language normal rather than ceremonial.We should, therefore, stop asking whether our children are capable of learning our languages. The better question is whether we are committed enough to teach them. Children are remarkably capable language learners. They can learn several languages and switch between them with astonishing ease. If parents come from different ethnic groups, or even different racial backgrounds, that should be an advantage, not an obstacle. The father can teach his language. The mother can teach hers. The child can learn both, alongside English.I decided before I got married that my children must speak Igbo very well, regardless of where we lived or whom I married. Some friends told me it was easier said than done. I simply said, “Okay, we shall see.” When I got married, I was fortunate that my wife had no objection to our children learning Igbo. As soon as they began to talk, the work started. At home, whenever they wanted something, we asked them to say it in Igbo. If they could not, we helped them. Whatever we wanted to tell them, we said in Igbo. If they did not understand, we explained it in English and repeated it in Igbo.Related NewsNigeria keep Olympic hope despite world champs withdrawalNDLEA, Army seize 604.5kg cannabis, hunt Edo drug kingpinVisa processing shift won’t affect Abuja embassy operations – USWe also took their English seriously. We bought them storybooks, novels, science books, animal books, and others. We corrected their grammar, vocabulary and tenses. The result was not a child who was poor in English because he or she had learnt Igbo. Our children consistently excelled in English at school, even though they eventually pursued STEM subjects.At school, church and other events, parents sometimes asked us how our children could speak Igbo so well. “Did they grow up in the village?” they would ask. When we said no, they were surprised. But there was nothing magical about it. We taught them. And every parent can do it.After seeing what our children could do with the Igbo language, I decided to conduct an informal experiment with our Boerboel. I named her Aguiyi, meaning “crocodile”, and taught her commands such as come, sit, eat, and stop in Igbo. She learnt them. If a dog can learn Igbo commands, how can we assume that our exceptionally intelligent children cannot learn Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, Edo, Urhobo, Efik, Ibibio, Isoko, Kalabari, Idoma or any other Nigerian language?I have encountered Nigerian children born and raised in Germany, Italy, Britain, China, the USA and Canada who speak excellent Nigerian languages alongside other languages. It is not magic. If you teach children a language and give them enough opportunity to use it, they will learn it.But let us state that parents who failed to do this in the past should not feel condemned. Ignorance can be corrected. It is never too late to begin. Start speaking your language at home. If the child responds in English, answer in your language. Teach the words patiently. Read books. Sing songs. Tell stories. Let grandparents and relatives participate. Don’t allow visitors to speak English to them. Create opportunities for the language to live.And please do not cut your children off from their roots in the name of exposing them to “world languages”. English will not disappear because a Nigerian child learns Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa or another indigenous language. In fact, learning one language can make it easier to appreciate the structure and richness of others.Our languages carry our histories, humour, values, proverbs, names, memories and ways of seeing the world. When we refuse to pass them on, we are not merely withholding words. We are withholding a part of identity and heritage.Every Nigerian child should have the opportunity to know the language of his or her parents. Whether the child grows up in Nnewi, Abuja, Lagos, London, Berlin, Vancouver or Halifax should not determine whether that inheritance survives.Teaching children their parents’ indigenous languages should be treated as a responsibility and, in a broader sense, as a human right: the right to know where one comes from, to communicate with one’s people and to inherit the cultural wealth of one’s family. We should give our children roots and wings. The world will teach them how to fly. We must make sure they know where they came from.X: @BrandAzuka We should, therefore, stop asking whether our children are capable of learning our languages. The better question is whether we are committed enough to teach them. Children are remarkably capable language learners. They can learn several languages and switch between them with astonishing ease. If parents come from different ethnic groups, or even different racial backgrounds, that should be an advantage, not an obstacle. The father can teach his language. The mother can teach hers. The child can learn both, alongside English.I decided before I got married that my children must speak Igbo very well, regardless of where we lived or whom I married. Some friends told me it was easier said than done. I simply said, “Okay, we shall see.” When I got married, I was fortunate that my wife had no objection to our children learning Igbo. As soon as they began to talk, the work started. At home, whenever they wanted something, we asked them to say it in Igbo. If they could not, we helped them. Whatever we wanted to tell them, we said in Igbo. If they did not understand, we explained it in English and repeated it in Igbo.Related NewsNigeria keep Olympic hope despite world champs withdrawalNDLEA, Army seize 604.5kg cannabis, hunt Edo drug kingpinVisa processing shift won’t affect Abuja embassy operations – USWe also took their English seriously. We bought them storybooks, novels, science books, animal books, and others. We corrected their grammar, vocabulary and tenses. The result was not a child who was poor in English because he or she had learnt Igbo. Our children consistently excelled in English at school, even though they eventually pursued STEM subjects.At school, church and other events, parents sometimes asked us how our children could speak Igbo so well. “Did they grow up in the village?” they would ask. When we said no, they were surprised. But there was nothing magical about it. We taught them. And every parent can do it.After seeing what our children could do with the Igbo language, I decided to conduct an informal experiment with our Boerboel. I named her Aguiyi, meaning “crocodile”, and taught her commands such as come, sit, eat, and stop in Igbo. She learnt them. If a dog can learn Igbo commands, how can we assume that our exceptionally intelligent children cannot learn Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, Edo, Urhobo, Efik, Ibibio, Isoko, Kalabari, Idoma or any other Nigerian language?I have encountered Nigerian children born and raised in Germany, Italy, Britain, China, the USA and Canada who speak excellent Nigerian languages alongside other languages. It is not magic. If you teach children a language and give them enough opportunity to use it, they will learn it.But let us state that parents who failed to do this in the past should not feel condemned. Ignorance can be corrected. It is never too late to begin. Start speaking your language at home. If the child responds in English, answer in your language. Teach the words patiently. Read books. Sing songs. Tell stories. Let grandparents and relatives participate. Don’t allow visitors to speak English to them. Create opportunities for the language to live.And please do not cut your children off from their roots in the name of exposing them to “world languages”. English will not disappear because a Nigerian child learns Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa or another indigenous language. In fact, learning one language can make it easier to appreciate the structure and richness of others.Our languages carry our histories, humour, values, proverbs, names, memories and ways of seeing the world. When we refuse to pass them on, we are not merely withholding words. We are withholding a part of identity and heritage.Every Nigerian child should have the opportunity to know the language of his or her parents. Whether the child grows up in Nnewi, Abuja, Lagos, London, Berlin, Vancouver or Halifax should not determine whether that inheritance survives.Teaching children their parents’ indigenous languages should be treated as a responsibility and, in a broader sense, as a human right: the right to know where one comes from, to communicate with one’s people and to inherit the cultural wealth of one’s family. We should give our children roots and wings. The world will teach them how to fly. We must make sure they know where they came from.X: @BrandAzuka I decided before I got married that my children must speak Igbo very well, regardless of where we lived or whom I married. Some friends told me it was easier said than done. I simply said, “Okay, we shall see.” When I got married, I was fortunate that my wife had no objection to our children learning Igbo. As soon as they began to talk, the work started. At home, whenever they wanted something, we asked them to say it in Igbo. If they could not, we helped them. Whatever we wanted to tell them, we said in Igbo. If they did not understand, we explained it in English and repeated it in Igbo.Related NewsNigeria keep Olympic hope despite world champs withdrawalNDLEA, Army seize 604.5kg cannabis, hunt Edo drug kingpinVisa processing shift won’t affect Abuja embassy operations – USWe also took their English seriously. We bought them storybooks, novels, science books, animal books, and others. We corrected their grammar, vocabulary and tenses. The result was not a child who was poor in English because he or she had learnt Igbo. Our children consistently excelled in English at school, even though they eventually pursued STEM subjects.At school, church and other events, parents sometimes asked us how our children could speak Igbo so well. “Did they grow up in the village?” they would ask. When we said no, they were surprised. But there was nothing magical about it. We taught them. And every parent can do it.After seeing what our children could do with the Igbo language, I decided to conduct an informal experiment with our Boerboel. I named her Aguiyi, meaning “crocodile”, and taught her commands such as come, sit, eat, and stop in Igbo. She learnt them. If a dog can learn Igbo commands, how can we assume that our exceptionally intelligent children cannot learn Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, Edo, Urhobo, Efik, Ibibio, Isoko, Kalabari, Idoma or any other Nigerian language?I have encountered Nigerian children born and raised in Germany, Italy, Britain, China, the USA and Canada who speak excellent Nigerian languages alongside other languages. It is not magic. If you teach children a language and give them enough opportunity to use it, they will learn it.But let us state that parents who failed to do this in the past should not feel condemned. Ignorance can be corrected. It is never too late to begin. Start speaking your language at home. If the child responds in English, answer in your language. Teach the words patiently. Read books. Sing songs. Tell stories. Let grandparents and relatives participate. Don’t allow visitors to speak English to them. Create opportunities for the language to live.And please do not cut your children off from their roots in the name of exposing them to “world languages”. English will not disappear because a Nigerian child learns Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa or another indigenous language. In fact, learning one language can make it easier to appreciate the structure and richness of others.Our languages carry our histories, humour, values, proverbs, names, memories and ways of seeing the world. When we refuse to pass them on, we are not merely withholding words. We are withholding a part of identity and heritage.Every Nigerian child should have the opportunity to know the language of his or her parents. Whether the child grows up in Nnewi, Abuja, Lagos, London, Berlin, Vancouver or Halifax should not determine whether that inheritance survives.Teaching children their parents’ indigenous languages should be treated as a responsibility and, in a broader sense, as a human right: the right to know where one comes from, to communicate with one’s people and to inherit the cultural wealth of one’s family. We should give our children roots and wings. The world will teach them how to fly. We must make sure they know where they came from.X: @BrandAzuka We also took their English seriously. We bought them storybooks, novels, science books, animal books, and others. We corrected their grammar, vocabulary and tenses. The result was not a child who was poor in English because he or she had learnt Igbo. Our children consistently excelled in English at school, even though they eventually pursued STEM subjects.At school, church and other events, parents sometimes asked us how our children could speak Igbo so well. “Did they grow up in the village?” they would ask. When we said no, they were surprised. But there was nothing magical about it. We taught them. And every parent can do it.After seeing what our children could do with the Igbo language, I decided to conduct an informal experiment with our Boerboel. I named her Aguiyi, meaning “crocodile”, and taught her commands such as come, sit, eat, and stop in Igbo. She learnt them. If a dog can learn Igbo commands, how can we assume that our exceptionally intelligent children cannot learn Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, Edo, Urhobo, Efik, Ibibio, Isoko, Kalabari, Idoma or any other Nigerian language?I have encountered Nigerian children born and raised in Germany, Italy, Britain, China, the USA and Canada who speak excellent Nigerian languages alongside other languages. It is not magic. If you teach children a language and give them enough opportunity to use it, they will learn it.But let us state that parents who failed to do this in the past should not feel condemned. Ignorance can be corrected. It is never too late to begin. Start speaking your language at home. If the child responds in English, answer in your language. Teach the words patiently. Read books. Sing songs. Tell stories. Let grandparents and relatives participate. Don’t allow visitors to speak English to them. Create opportunities for the language to live.And please do not cut your children off from their roots in the name of exposing them to “world languages”. English will not disappear because a Nigerian child learns Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa or another indigenous language. In fact, learning one language can make it easier to appreciate the structure and richness of others.Our languages carry our histories, humour, values, proverbs, names, memories and ways of seeing the world. When we refuse to pass them on, we are not merely withholding words. We are withholding a part of identity and heritage.Every Nigerian child should have the opportunity to know the language of his or her parents. Whether the child grows up in Nnewi, Abuja, Lagos, London, Berlin, Vancouver or Halifax should not determine whether that inheritance survives.Teaching children their parents’ indigenous languages should be treated as a responsibility and, in a broader sense, as a human right: the right to know where one comes from, to communicate with one’s people and to inherit the cultural wealth of one’s family. We should give our children roots and wings. The world will teach them how to fly. We must make sure they know where they came from.X: @BrandAzuka At school, church and other events, parents sometimes asked us how our children could speak Igbo so well. “Did they grow up in the village?” they would ask. When we said no, they were surprised. But there was nothing magical about it. We taught them. And every parent can do it.After seeing what our children could do with the Igbo language, I decided to conduct an informal experiment with our Boerboel. I named her Aguiyi, meaning “crocodile”, and taught her commands such as come, sit, eat, and stop in Igbo. She learnt them. If a dog can learn Igbo commands, how can we assume that our exceptionally intelligent children cannot learn Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, Edo, Urhobo, Efik, Ibibio, Isoko, Kalabari, Idoma or any other Nigerian language?I have encountered Nigerian children born and raised in Germany, Italy, Britain, China, the USA and Canada who speak excellent Nigerian languages alongside other languages. It is not magic. If you teach children a language and give them enough opportunity to use it, they will learn it.But let us state that parents who failed to do this in the past should not feel condemned. Ignorance can be corrected. It is never too late to begin. Start speaking your language at home. If the child responds in English, answer in your language. Teach the words patiently. Read books. Sing songs. Tell stories. Let grandparents and relatives participate. Don’t allow visitors to speak English to them. Create opportunities for the language to live.And please do not cut your children off from their roots in the name of exposing them to “world languages”. English will not disappear because a Nigerian child learns Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa or another indigenous language. In fact, learning one language can make it easier to appreciate the structure and richness of others.Our languages carry our histories, humour, values, proverbs, names, memories and ways of seeing the world. When we refuse to pass them on, we are not merely withholding words. We are withholding a part of identity and heritage.Every Nigerian child should have the opportunity to know the language of his or her parents. Whether the child grows up in Nnewi, Abuja, Lagos, London, Berlin, Vancouver or Halifax should not determine whether that inheritance survives.Teaching children their parents’ indigenous languages should be treated as a responsibility and, in a broader sense, as a human right: the right to know where one comes from, to communicate with one’s people and to inherit the cultural wealth of one’s family. We should give our children roots and wings. The world will teach them how to fly. We must make sure they know where they came from.X: @BrandAzuka After seeing what our children could do with the Igbo language, I decided to conduct an informal experiment with our Boerboel. I named her Aguiyi, meaning “crocodile”, and taught her commands such as come, sit, eat, and stop in Igbo. She learnt them. If a dog can learn Igbo commands, how can we assume that our exceptionally intelligent children cannot learn Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, Edo, Urhobo, Efik, Ibibio, Isoko, Kalabari, Idoma or any other Nigerian language?I have encountered Nigerian children born and raised in Germany, Italy, Britain, China, the USA and Canada who speak excellent Nigerian languages alongside other languages. It is not magic. If you teach children a language and give them enough opportunity to use it, they will learn it.But let us state that parents who failed to do this in the past should not feel condemned. Ignorance can be corrected. It is never too late to begin. Start speaking your language at home. If the child responds in English, answer in your language. Teach the words patiently. Read books. Sing songs. Tell stories. Let grandparents and relatives participate. Don’t allow visitors to speak English to them. Create opportunities for the language to live.And please do not cut your children off from their roots in the name of exposing them to “world languages”. English will not disappear because a Nigerian child learns Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa or another indigenous language. In fact, learning one language can make it easier to appreciate the structure and richness of others.Our languages carry our histories, humour, values, proverbs, names, memories and ways of seeing the world. When we refuse to pass them on, we are not merely withholding words. We are withholding a part of identity and heritage.Every Nigerian child should have the opportunity to know the language of his or her parents. Whether the child grows up in Nnewi, Abuja, Lagos, London, Berlin, Vancouver or Halifax should not determine whether that inheritance survives.Teaching children their parents’ indigenous languages should be treated as a responsibility and, in a broader sense, as a human right: the right to know where one comes from, to communicate with one’s people and to inherit the cultural wealth of one’s family. We should give our children roots and wings. The world will teach them how to fly. We must make sure they know where they came from.X: @BrandAzuka I have encountered Nigerian children born and raised in Germany, Italy, Britain, China, the USA and Canada who speak excellent Nigerian languages alongside other languages. It is not magic. If you teach children a language and give them enough opportunity to use it, they will learn it.But let us state that parents who failed to do this in the past should not feel condemned. Ignorance can be corrected. It is never too late to begin. Start speaking your language at home. If the child responds in English, answer in your language. Teach the words patiently. Read books. Sing songs. Tell stories. Let grandparents and relatives participate. Don’t allow visitors to speak English to them. Create opportunities for the language to live.And please do not cut your children off from their roots in the name of exposing them to “world languages”. English will not disappear because a Nigerian child learns Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa or another indigenous language. In fact, learning one language can make it easier to appreciate the structure and richness of others.Our languages carry our histories, humour, values, proverbs, names, memories and ways of seeing the world. When we refuse to pass them on, we are not merely withholding words. We are withholding a part of identity and heritage.Every Nigerian child should have the opportunity to know the language of his or her parents. Whether the child grows up in Nnewi, Abuja, Lagos, London, Berlin, Vancouver or Halifax should not determine whether that inheritance survives.Teaching children their parents’ indigenous languages should be treated as a responsibility and, in a broader sense, as a human right: the right to know where one comes from, to communicate with one’s people and to inherit the cultural wealth of one’s family. We should give our children roots and wings. The world will teach them how to fly. We must make sure they know where they came from.X: @BrandAzuka But let us state that parents who failed to do this in the past should not feel condemned. Ignorance can be corrected. It is never too late to begin. Start speaking your language at home. If the child responds in English, answer in your language. Teach the words patiently. Read books. Sing songs. Tell stories. Let grandparents and relatives participate. Don’t allow visitors to speak English to them. Create opportunities for the language to live.And please do not cut your children off from their roots in the name of exposing them to “world languages”. English will not disappear because a Nigerian child learns Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa or another indigenous language. In fact, learning one language can make it easier to appreciate the structure and richness of others.Our languages carry our histories, humour, values, proverbs, names, memories and ways of seeing the world. When we refuse to pass them on, we are not merely withholding words. We are withholding a part of identity and heritage.Every Nigerian child should have the opportunity to know the language of his or her parents. Whether the child grows up in Nnewi, Abuja, Lagos, London, Berlin, Vancouver or Halifax should not determine whether that inheritance survives.Teaching children their parents’ indigenous languages should be treated as a responsibility and, in a broader sense, as a human right: the right to know where one comes from, to communicate with one’s people and to inherit the cultural wealth of one’s family. We should give our children roots and wings. The world will teach them how to fly. We must make sure they know where they came from.X: @BrandAzuka And please do not cut your children off from their roots in the name of exposing them to “world languages”. English will not disappear because a Nigerian child learns Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa or another indigenous language. In fact, learning one language can make it easier to appreciate the structure and richness of others.Our languages carry our histories, humour, values, proverbs, names, memories and ways of seeing the world. When we refuse to pass them on, we are not merely withholding words. We are withholding a part of identity and heritage.Every Nigerian child should have the opportunity to know the language of his or her parents. Whether the child grows up in Nnewi, Abuja, Lagos, London, Berlin, Vancouver or Halifax should not determine whether that inheritance survives.Teaching children their parents’ indigenous languages should be treated as a responsibility and, in a broader sense, as a human right: the right to know where one comes from, to communicate with one’s people and to inherit the cultural wealth of one’s family. We should give our children roots and wings. The world will teach them how to fly. We must make sure they know where they came from.X: @BrandAzuka Our languages carry our histories, humour, values, proverbs, names, memories and ways of seeing the world. When we refuse to pass them on, we are not merely withholding words. We are withholding a part of identity and heritage.Every Nigerian child should have the opportunity to know the language of his or her parents. Whether the child grows up in Nnewi, Abuja, Lagos, London, Berlin, Vancouver or Halifax should not determine whether that inheritance survives.Teaching children their parents’ indigenous languages should be treated as a responsibility and, in a broader sense, as a human right: the right to know where one comes from, to communicate with one’s people and to inherit the cultural wealth of one’s family. We should give our children roots and wings. The world will teach them how to fly. We must make sure they know where they came from.X: @BrandAzuka Every Nigerian child should have the opportunity to know the language of his or her parents. Whether the child grows up in Nnewi, Abuja, Lagos, London, Berlin, Vancouver or Halifax should not determine whether that inheritance survives.Teaching children their parents’ indigenous languages should be treated as a responsibility and, in a broader sense, as a human right: the right to know where one comes from, to communicate with one’s people and to inherit the cultural wealth of one’s family. We should give our children roots and wings. The world will teach them how to fly. We must make sure they know where they came from.X: @BrandAzuka Teaching children their parents’ indigenous languages should be treated as a responsibility and, in a broader sense, as a human right: the right to know where one comes from, to communicate with one’s people and to inherit the cultural wealth of one’s family. We should give our children roots and wings. The world will teach them how to fly. We must make sure they know where they came from.X: @BrandAzuka X: @BrandAzuka