‘We’re losing our children to English’ — Och’Idoma decries cultural decay

The paramount ruler of Idoma land, HRM Agabaidu Elaigwu John Odogbo, has raised concern over what he described as the fast-eroding cultural identity among the younger generation of Idoma people, IDOMA VOICE reports.

Speaking during a royal banquet held in Abuja on Friday, the monarch lamented that many Idoma children can no longer speak or understand their native language, warning that the trend poses a serious threat to the continuity of the Idoma heritage.

“We are gradually losing our children to English. Many of them cannot even greet properly in our language. If this continues, our songs, our dances, and our stories will die with us,” the Och’Idoma said.

He urged parents, schools, and community leaders to take deliberate steps to revive the teaching and daily use of the Idoma language, both at home and in social gatherings.

The royal father stressed that no society develops by abandoning its cultural roots, calling for renewed efforts to document Idoma folktales, proverbs, and traditional practices for posterity.

“We must teach our children our language as their first language, and then English as a borrowed one.

If we fail to bring up our children to learn our mother tongue, a time may come when they will return home as strangers to their own kingdom.

“You must teach them, and I must teach my children — because the uniqueness of our dialect as Idoma people defines who we are. It makes us proud, and that pride must be transferred and transformed into the lives of our children and generations yet unborn.

“The preservation of our heritage is the preservation of our destiny. Our culture is our pride; it is the very soul of our identity.”

The monarch also hinted that future cultural events in Idoma land would place emphasis on indigenous expressions, with young people expected to participate using the native tongue.