ADEDEJI ODULESI: How I became a polyglot
yarkarkara
ADEDEJI ODULESI is Nigeria’s number 1 polyglot speaking the major languages of Nigeria and some other European languages. His social media presence fishing out many of histypes has garnered many fans teaching us that Nigerians are welcoming people who do not hate one another. In this chat with FRED IWENJORA, he speaks on how he came to be a polyglot and how his proficiency inspeaking major local and international languages is helping to unifyNigerians.
Was becoming a polyglot for you by design or by chance?
My capacity to speak many languages didnot come intentionally. I did not know that I would one day be knownas a polyglot. It first came naturally by chance then became intentional and deliberate. I was born in Warri, Delta state so I picked up pidgin English which is the major language of the area. I found Yoruba at home because I am a Yoruba man from Ogun state. We spoke English at school, Yoruba at home and pidgin English in the neighbourhood.
You mean you did not pick Urhobo language?
Delta state has so many languages including Urhobo, Ijaw, Itsekiri, Isoko, Delta Igbo of Anioma and Ndokwa, so the people adopted the pidgin English. But I speak the basic ‘Migwo’, ‘Vrendo’ and ‘Magari’. But those were minor. However, I left Warri when I was about 8 or 9 years old, so I did not go far with Urhobo, the dominant language in Warri. My father, a federal civil servant in the Ministry of Education was transferred out of Warri to far away Sokoto, where I spent the next ten years or more and learnt to speak and write Hausa. My learning to speak Hausa was deliberate. My father was the topmost officer in his work place as Education Inspector, so he needed to communicate with the drivers, security man, gardener and all others who couldn’t speak good English. He actually needed me as an interpreter because he knew that among his children, I was best at speaking languages. This made me also have more interest and deliberately learn the Hausa language. In 1990, he was transferred again to Owerri, Imo state. I stayed in the boarding house of the Federal Government College, Sokoto, when my father left for Imo state. After my graduation from secondary school, I joined my parents in Owerri where I spent about two or three years before I got admission into Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta. Within the three years of living in Owerri, I grabbed the Igbo language. You can notice that my Igbo is Owerri/Imo dialect. In fact, I chose University of Agriculture, Abeokuta because I wanted to be closer to my people in the south west. My going off to study in Abeokuta was my first time going to live among my people since I was born. Not that we had never visited home before. But visits were not enough to really know my people. It was in 1992/93 that I moved full time to Abeokuta. My Yoruba improved as soon as I arrived in Abeokuta. I realised that there is a big difference between speaking your language outside of your locality and speaking it within. It was like speaking a language in theory and not practical. Soon my Yoruba fluency got deeper and improved considerably.
What about French? You must also have a story concerning this?
I grabbed French while I was at FGC Sokoto. I was intentional when I offered French in school. I became the best French student in my set in school and everyone knew me for that. However, I only offered French in JSS. After JSS, I dropped it to take further maths since I was a science student. I never lost track with my French even when I had moved on in class. My French continued to rear its head while I was a student at FUNAAB. I got myself materials and books. One of the books was French for three months. I also bought audio tapes and CDs. By speaking French on campus, I soon connected with other French speakers and enthusiasts. Once, there was an international conference held on campus and ushers were required. FUNAAB had many international students from neighbouring Francophone countries of Benin, Togo and Mali but I beat all of them to the test and was selected for my competence. I became a bilingual usher for the programme and was paid handsomely. That was the only bilingual job I had in school and I may never forget it.
So money started coming for your being a polyglot while in school? It may have encouraged you to continue.
True, that was the only job that came. I know if there was another conference, I would have clinched it because I passed the test and the interview. I still anchor events because of this so-called gift with languages.
How did your interest in Spanish come about?
This will shock you, I learnt Spanish online. I used an app to learn Spanish and I think I speak well.
What about German?
Over time, I became a sought after Master of Ceremonies because of my proficiency in languages. I anchored an international event in Ilorin, Kwara state in which the former Minister for Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed was a Special Guest. I had greeted the guests in all Nigeria major languages and switched into the international languages of English, French and Spanish. Alhaji Lai Mohammed spoke about my proficiency and made people laugh. Then someone came up to me and said some things that sounded gibberish. I couldn’t understand him. When I asked him what language he was speaking, he said German, thinking I understood that language as well. There and then, I promised myself and the man that when next we met, I would be speaking German. I never met the man again but I have learnt German. When I returned to Lagos after the event, I inquired about German language lessons and I was directed to the Goethe Institute, Lagos. I enrolled and not long after, I was offered a scholarship because of my enthusiasm and proficiency. I was very intentional and very passionate about my studies. I went to school from work everyday. When we closed, I would ride in the commercial bus getting home very late at night. This was how I learnt German to a speaking level.
Then when did you take the decisionto use your proficiency in major languages for national unity and peace advocacy?
When I started interviewing Nigerians with such proficiency, they began showing the excitement in what we were doing so I was encouraged to continue to seek out more people who could speak like me. In the course of the interviews, I realised that those who spoke more languages tended to be unbiased and accepted all others without discrimination. When I asked such people how they saw themselves, they all said they saw themselves as Nigerians and not as Igbo, Yoruba or Hausa. I met one woman who has Igbo blood because her mother’s mother is Igbo while her father’s mum is Awori but her father is Hausa from Kano. She speaks all the languages. She said she saw herself as a full Nigerian. These revelations led me to the unification project.
People have been talking about your last visit to Enugu, tell us more
My trip to Enugu was to interview the Hausa and Yoruba communities in Enugu. I had interviewed some Yoruba people based in Enugu and Anambra states, who actually extended the invitation to visit Enugu and see things for myself. It was my first time visiting Enugu and my eyes opened up so widely. Like I said, I had spent my early years in Owerri but Enugu is totally new to me. I then planned a visit and was highly welcomed. I got favourable reports different from what we hear elsewhere. I realised that most of the negative reports we hear about Nigerian people are false. Most of the people I met narrated how they were living well with their hosts. I heard stories that were directly opposite of what we hear. Hausa and Yoruba people living in Enugu said they felt much more at home. When I was taken to Owerri road in Enugu, where there are Hausa and Yoruba communities, I was shocked. They were all saying ‘this place is the perfect home’. They said they encountered no problems. In two days I had interviewed more than 30 people who all voluntarily accepted to speak to my camera about the real situations. They came surging to talk about how they had been given away to Ndigbo until I said I needed to take a break
Are you encouraged to do more travels across Nigeria?
Hausa fans are calling for another round of travels, this time to Kano, to see the many people from other tribes such as Igbo, Yoruba, Efik and Ibibio and others who have made home in Kano and are never dreaming of permanently returning to their original homes. Nigerians are lovely people who are ready to welcome strangers into their midst.
What basic lessons have you learnt from the project?
The project has given me visibility. It has also taught me about the reality of things in Nigeria. Most of the stories you hear about hatred in Nigeria are false. These are basic revelations about how we live. Children can’t pretend about the realities around them. I asked one young boy why he did not stay back in the north when they travelled for holiday and he said in Hausa, “Here is so sweet”. If I were bribing the speakers how many people would I bribe? Will I bribe little children? Am I going to bribe Hausa women in hijab who say they live in free houses where landlords do not collect rent from them? Another highlight for me is when we read comments like “it is politicians that are causing our hatred for one another.” They say that it is politicians that are deceiving us that Hausa and Yoruba people are not allowed to live well in the east or that Igbos are not in the north of Nigeria. This initiative gives me much fulfilment. We often hear that Igbos do not sell their land to outsiders but I heard that they sell to anyone who wants it except ancestral lands. The story that Igbos eat human beings was debunked by a Yoruba woman with tribal marks who said if it were true, then she would have been the first meal. I am happy that my initiative is helping to cancel all the stereotypes. I also have another invitation to Osogbo to meet with the Igbo and Hausa communities who have made Osogbo their home since time immemorial. This shows me that a common Nigerian is welcoming to all. It is only Nigerian politicians that divide us to rule us. We need to have a change of pattern in doing politics. To my fellow Nigerians, let us not believe in hearsay. I went to see for myself.
The post ADEDEJI ODULESI: How I became a polyglot appeared first on Vanguard News.
