Outrage as WAEC drops Efik language from examination syllabus

The Obong of Calabar Executive Forum (OCEF) has described the delisting of the Efik language from the WAEC curriculum as “an assault on the Efik people” and demanded its immediate reinstatement.

OCEF Chairman, High Chief Gershom Henshaw, MFR, said the decision erases one of Nigeria’s most developed indigenous languages from formal education.

“Efik has a well-developed orthography. It was used to translate the Bible in the 19th century and for news broadcasts on NBC from the 1960s to the 1980s. We wonder why it is being dropped now,” Henshaw said.

He expressed displeasure that Efik students were allegedly given Igbo question papers to write in place of Efik in the last WAEC examination, describing it as “totally unacceptable.”

To sustain the language, OCEF said it had instituted scholarships for students offering Efik, approved special allowances for Efik teachers, recalled retired teachers to the classroom, and supported Efik radio and television programmes.

Henshaw assured WAEC that OCEF would provide enough candidates for Efik examinations to meet requirements, adding that the Palace of the Obong of Calabar is committed to ensuring the language does not go into extinction.

“We call on WAEC to reinstate the Efik language without delay. The concerted efforts made so far must not be allowed to go to waste,” he said.