News
There Is The Urgent Need To Preserve Urhobo Language –Ofobrukueta
By Daniel Dafe
Immediate past Chairman, Ethiope East Local Government Area in Delta State, Pharm. Victor Ofobrukueta, has said that there was the urgent need to preserve Urhobo language.
He said this in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
He recalled how he visited a family in Eku community, and was deeply concerned to discover a 12-year-old child born and raised in an Urhobo homeland that could not speak a single sentence in Urhobo.
He continued: ‘I was miffed. This moment stirred something within me, awakening memories of my own childhood. At age 11, I left Okurekpo for Benin City, a bustling city where English and other dominant languages reigned. Yet, despite the distance and external influences, I speak Urhobo fluently today. Why? Because my parents spoke it to me, so even though l left Okurekpo early, I can speak it till now.”
According to him, “the scene in Eku is not isolated,” adding: “It is becoming increasingly common across Urhoboland and among Urhobo families in urban areas. Our children are growing up with no knowledge of our language—our identity. They can recite the English alphabet, sing foreign nursery rhymes, and navigate social media, yet they cannot say simple greetings like “Miguo” or “Urhie vwẹ”. This is not just a language issue; it is a cultural crisis.”
Continuing, he said “language is more than a tool for communication.”
ALSO READ: Ogwashi-Ukwu: Police Arrest 5 Suspected Kidnappers, Recover N5M Ransom Money
Adding: “It is the carrier of our values, our wisdom, our humor, and our worldview. When we lose our language, we lose a vital part of who we are. Urhobo is the soul of our identity as a people. It encodes our proverbs, our customs, our songs, and our history.”
In his words, “when a child cannot speak their native language, they become disconnected from their roots. They grow up as strangers to their culture and often struggle with identity. Worse still, they may unconsciously adopt the belief that their language is inferior, primitive, or unnecessary.”
He blamed the negative development on parents.
His words: “The answer lies in our homes—our parenting choices. Many of today’s Urhobo parents are unintentionally contributing to the decline of our language. We speak English to our children because we want them to sound “polished” or to compete academically. We live in cities and convince ourselves that Urhobo has no place in modern life. Some parents even mock or scold their children for speaking the language “poorly,” forgetting that it is our responsibility to teach and nurture it.
“But the irony is glaring: many of us who grew up in the 1970s and 1980s, even those who relocated early to cities like Benin, Warri, Lagos or Port Harcourt, still speak Urhobo. Why? Because our parents insisted. They spoke it to us daily—in the kitchen, in the compound, during evening stories. Urhobo flowed naturally at home, regardless of the English taught in schools.
On the way forward, he said: “We must return to deliberate language transmission.”
Here are a few practical steps he suggested Urhobo parents and guardians can take:
- Speak Urhobo at Home: Make it the default language of communication, especially during informal conversations.
- Tell Stories in Urhobo: Revive the art of storytelling in the evenings with folk tales and proverbs in our mother tongue.
- Encourage Mistakes: Let your children make mistakes while learning. Correct with love, not mockery.
- Use Media Wisely: Expose your children to Urhobo music, cartoons, and educational content. Technology can also be our ally.
- Celebrate the Language: Teach your children to be proud of being Urhobo. Let them know that speaking Urhobo is a badge of honor, not shame.
Furthermore, he opined that “preserving the Urhobo language is not just a cultural duty, but a generational responsibility.”
He opined: “If we do not teach our children today, they will not be able to teach theirs tomorrow. We risk becoming a people with a name but no voice—Urhobo by blood but not by tongue.”
To every Urhobo father and mother, he said: ‘Let Urhobo live in your home. Let it echo in your compound. Let it find life again in the laughter and speech of your children. This is how we honor our ancestors. This is how we preserve our heritage.”
“Let us not wait for government or cultural associations to do what begins in our living rooms,” he concluded.