By BANNERNEWS Reporter, Calabar
The Obong of Calabar Executive Forum (OCEF) has called on the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) to reinstate Efik Language into its examination syllabus, describing its reported removal as an attack on the cultural heritage of the Efik people.
In a statement issued in Calabar, the Chairman of OCEF, High Chief Gershom Henshaw, MFR, expressed concern over what he described as the delisting of Efik from the WAEC curriculum, saying the development threatens ongoing efforts to preserve one of Nigeria’s oldest indigenous languages.
Henshaw noted that Efik is one of the country’s widely spoken indigenous languages with a well-developed orthography. He recalled that the language was used for the translation of the Bible in the 19th century and featured prominently in news broadcasts of the then Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) between the 1960s and 1980s.
He questioned the rationale behind its removal from the WAEC syllabus despite its historical and educational significance.
The OCEF chairman said stakeholders had invested considerable resources to prevent the extinction of the language, including awarding scholarships to students offering Efik in WAEC examinations, providing incentives for Efik language teachers, recalling retired teachers to classrooms, and promoting Efik programmes on radio and television.
He also condemned an incident in which candidates registered for Efik Language were allegedly issued Igbo Language question papers during a WAEC examination, describing the situation as unacceptable and urging the examination body to ensure it does not recur.
Henshaw assured WAEC that OCEF would mobilise sufficient candidates to meet the council’s requirements for offering Efik Language in its examinations.
He reaffirmed the commitment of the Palace of the Obong of Calabar and the forum to preserving and promoting the Efik language for future generations.
