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Yemi Osinbajo to lead campaign on patriotism in pidgin English

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6 years ago

October 5, 2018

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, will on Oct. 8 at NTA Star times, feature in the inaugural broadcast of a national patriotism programme, `HIYA Nigeria, aimed at educating Nigerians using local languages and Pidgin English.
HIYA Nigeria Project Convener, Oluwadamilola Oni, who briefed newsmen on Friday in Abuja, said that Osinbajo would speak pidgin English on the programme.

She said the project, a grassroots senistisation and capacity building programme, would start its first segment broadcast in Pidgin English, Yoruba, Hausa and Igbo from Oct. 8 to Dec. 27.

According to her, the programme seeks to educate and awaken Nigerians to ownership, unity, and in-depth knowledge their languages, culture, history and national values.

Our first guest is the vice president; he will come and speak Pidgin English live on air at 6 p.m.

The vice president will be speaking on the topic,`The Road Way to Independence; he will speak on what the independence used to be and what it is now.

The general genre of the programme is a talk show; a live phone-in television programme in Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba and all Nigerian language (Pidgin English), she said.

She said plans were also under way to bring President Muhammadu Buhari to the second segment of the programme in January 2019, to speak Fulani language.

She said that the programme would re-orientate Nigerians on proper use of national symbols which include but not limited to the constitution, national anthem, coat of arms, national flag, national identity card, and national currency, among others.

The convener said that the broadcast could be connected via email on hiyaNigeria.official@gmail.com, via Facebook on facebook/hyanigeria, Instagram on hiyanigeria, Twitter on @hiyanigeria, Whatsapp on 08055996919 and Youtube on HIYA NIGERIA.

– HIYA Nigeria is a project focused on using all the Nigerian languages including pidgin to unite citizens

The vice president Yemi Osinabjo will be the first guest on HIYA Nigeria, a federal government broadcast programme aimed at uniting Nigerians across ethnic and religious lines.

Speaking in Abuja on Friday, October 5, at a press conference on the public presentation of HIYA, an acronym for Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba and All Nigerian languages, the project coordinator, Oluwadamilola Oni, said the vice president will launch the programme on Monday, October 8, on NTA Startimes.

Oni said HIYA Nigeria after the launch will begin with an introduction of the programme, an Independence Day celebration special and cummulate into addressing various issues of challenges among Nigerians, including, promotion, education and re-orientation of the citizens.

She said the project would also seek to educate Nigerians on the proper use and importance of various national symbols which includes but not excluded to the constitution, the national anthem, the national identity card, national currency, national flag, national anthem and pledge, the international passport and all supporting symbols.

She however said that the program is meant to enlighten citizens on their rights, civic responsibilities, government obligation and the National Youth Service Corps.

Oni also noted that the HIYA Nigeria project will seek to educate and awaken Nigerians to ownership , unity and in-depth knowledge of Nigerian languages , culture, history and national values.

“‘HIYA Nigeria’ has oragnised two stakeholders’s forum with participants drawn from relevant ministries, parastal and MDAs and will kick start the weekly phone-in programme on air on Monday, October 8, 2018,” Oni said.

She said the phone-in programmes will be produced in Nigeria indigenous languages/ English language and accompanied live streaming to connect the Grassroots Civic Education Unit (GCEU).

“The genre of the programme is a talk-show, a live phone-in television programme in Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba and all Nigerian language (pidgin). There will be a segment for questions and answers. It will take 55 minutes duration of daily broadcast while information about what is accepted and what is not will be strictly adhered to,” she added.

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According to Oni, the programme will be live on NTA Startimes by 6pm -7pm weekly, starting from October 27 to December 2018.

While, Pidgin English would be aired on Mondays on NTA entertainment news, Yoruba programmes on Tuesdays on NTA Ikanni Odua, Hausa on Wednesdays on NTA Hausa, the Igbo programme would be aired on NTA Igboezue on Thursdays.

Meanwhile, NAIJ.com previously reported that the federal government will empower two million petty traders across the country with collateral-free loans this year.

Laolu Akande, spokesman for Acting President Yemi Osinbajo said that the new initiative, called TraderMoni, would be implemented under the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP).

He said that the gesture was part of federal governments efforts to further enlarge its financial inclusion agenda for all Nigerians regardless of social class and economic status.