By Don Ubani
Ingratitude is one defect in man that constitutes a deadly obstruction to human development. It is so because when people in any society exhibit ingratitude to men that mean well to the society, it goes a very long way to discourage such men from continuity in altruism.
National Institute For Nigerian Languages, NINLAN, Aba, is a Federal Institution that forces tears from any patriotic close observer. The Institution, with a very vast area of land, which was established on 30th December, 1993 by Decree No 117, and charged with the responsibility of teaching, research, documentation, and cordination of Nigeria’s approximately 520 languages, has remained one of the most poorly funded in the annals of Higher Education in Nigeria. Yet, the School, based on the philosophy behind its establishment, is indisputably unique and strategic.
If the School could be adequately funded and effectively managed, it would serve as a credible source of National Unity and Integration because it would bridge communication gaps in Nigeria. No doubt, most of the crisis that erupt in Nigeria could be traced to gaps in communication, arising from language barriers.
For close to three decades running, Old Aba Division of present Abia State has been producing prominent elected officials at the Local Government, State and Federal levels.
It is disheartening and shameful that none of the elected Officials from that part of Abia State ever made any quantifiable attempt to draw the attention of the Federal Government to the deplorable fortunes of the Federal Institution in their own home.
Thankfully, it took a Federal Legislator from Bende Federal Constituency in Abia-North Senatorial District of Abia State, and the Deputy Speaker of the 10th House of Representatives, His Excellency, The Rt Hon Ben Kalu, CON, to contemplate and initiate a visible programme of elevation and substantial improvement in the trajectory of National Institute For Nigerian Languages, NINLAN, Aba.
The intervention of Rt Hon Ben Kalu, CON, is one that deserves commendation from honest, patriotic, decent and grateful characters, as he has successfully pushed the Institute, passing all legislative hurdles, to emerge as a Federal University.
Rather unfortunately, people whose kith and kin have abysmally and woefully depicted lack of patriotism, vision and altruism, instead of expressing gratitude to the Man that has voluntarily taken up the challenge of rewriting the inexplicable failures of their elected kinsmen on the said Institute, now come up with petty demands, suggesting that the Institute should be named after Jaja Wachuku, instead of having the School named, ‘Bola Ahmed Tinubu Federal University of Nigerian Languages’.
Well meaning Nigerians are most likely to find it difficult, if not impossible, to really evaluate some individuals that exist in human societies! Should the concern of the kith and kin of late Dr Jaja Wachuku be the development of that Institution that has been neglected for almost three decades so that it can become a proud Centre of Learning and Research, with a high capacity to generate both direct and indirect thousands of employment or mere sentiments of having the Institute named after their kinsman who since he died, they have hardly done anything, even in their own little way, to commemorate or immortalize?
It is even more ironically embarrassing to note that the name of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is not, in any way, associated with the University. The name of the School, as legislatively proposed, is Federal University of Nigerian Languages.
Once the Institute becomes an approved Federal University, its teething problem of funding will become a thing of the past, as it will begin to receive funding from Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFUND.
On a very grateful note, the good people of Abia State, especially those from Old Aba Division, would wish to express immense gratitude to the Deputy Speaker of the 10th House of Representatives, The Rt Hon Ben Kalu, CON, for not being parochial in his vision for development of Abia State, unlike many elected officials from the Old Aba Division who would only think of their selfish interest.
It is the wish of such people that the Deputy Speaker would put in all his best to make sure that the Federal University of Nigerian Languages, Aba, comes into existence. Even if it were to be ‘Bola Ahmed Tinubu Federal University of Nigerian Languages, Aba’, the nomenclature should also not have constituted a problem.
Sir Don Ubani; KSC, JP, a former Commissioner for Information and Strategy in Abia State writes from Aba.
