Ijaw Language Faces Extinction Threat, Analysts Urge Government Action


By Perekpo Raphael

YENAGOA, BAYELSA STATE — Social commentators and cultural advocates in Bayelsa State have expressed deep concern over the gradual fading of the Ijaw language in many Ijaw communities, warning that if urgent steps are not taken to revive the culture of speaking the language, it could face extinction in the near future.


Speaking with kelsthel.ng in Yenagoa, they observed that English has increasingly replaced Ijaw as the primary means of communication among most Ijaw people, including in rural areas where the native tongue once thrived.


“Language is a vital part of human experience. It is deeply tied to our cultural identity and heritage,” one analyst stated. “What we are witnessing today is not just a shift in language but a slow erosion of the Ijaw identity itself.”


Observers noted that the language’s decline is especially pronounced among the younger generation, many of whom grow up without adequate exposure to or proficiency in Ijaw.


They called on the government to adopt and implement policies that will actively promote the Ijaw language, including integrating it more robustly into the educational curriculum, funding language documentation and preservation projects, and using media platforms to spread its use.


While acknowledging that the Bayelsa State Government has made some effort in the past to support indigenous language development, the commentators stressed that current measures are not enough to address what they described as a looming cultural crisis.


“This is more than just a linguistic issue, it is a matter of preserving who we are,” one of the respondents emphasized. “The government must scale up its efforts, and communities must take pride in passing the language on to future generations.”


The commentators also suggested that non-Ijaw residents in the state should be offered opportunities to learn basic communication in the language, further integrating Ijaw into the social and economic fabric of the region.


As calls grow louder for action, cultural experts hope that collaborative efforts between government, traditional institutions, educators, and media stakeholders will halt the fading of the Ijaw language and ensure its survival for generations to come.

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