Jide Timothy-Asobele, writer and professor of French, activates his French language literacy campaign with lecture series and new books
By Sylvester Asoya
For over two decades, he led a one-man revolution. Jide Timothy-Asobele, writer and professor of French had pleaded with Nigerians at the time to take more than a passing interest in French language. For him, everybody needed to speak smattering French because Nigeria, he argued, is surrounded by many Francophone countries. But for long, the campaign had no impact. In fact, despite his many arguments, he could not have claimed any meaningful success.
Now, things are looking up for Asobele and his French literacy campaign. Earlier in the year, he became Head, Department of European Languages, University of Lagos and this has conferred its own advantages. Now, he is ready to realise his dreams for French.
From within, Asobele is already dreaming of heading the best and most virile French department in Nigeria by attracting competent academic staff. The department, he said, will also revive its culture of producing good journals that would compete with any other produced in the world. This is in addition to the department’s collaborative efforts within and outside Nigeria. For instance, in May, Jean-Michel Dumond, French Ambassador to Nigeria, visited the department and promised to provide assistance towards the study of French.
Asobele is also designing new academic programmes and light French packages for employees in the telecommunications industry as well as officers in the military and paramilitary establishments like the Police, Immigration and Customs services. “Our vision is to organise short diploma courses for them so that they can perform well. Even Power Holding Company of Nigeria now supplies light to some neighbouring countries, so officials of PHCN need to understand French in the course of their work,” he said.
There is, however, something for religious leaders. Asobele acknowledged the fact that with the process of expansion, especially among Pentecostal churches, the need for interpreters and translators will surely arise. And the department of European Languages, in conjunction with Nigerian Institute of Translators and Interpreters and Nigerian Association of Translators and Interpreters, is already working out the modalities for effective collaboration.
The French teacher also told TheNEWS that his department has a special package for media organisations. “Our vision extends to journalists. We will train them to be bi-lingual and useful to themselves so that they can function properly when they take on visiting heads of states from the ECOWAS sub-region, who can’t speak English. In fact, when we are fully ready, I know that the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, will warm up to such an initiative. Our plan is to make our department the bastion of that revolution that will change our attitude towards language. We will also extend this programme to all sectors of our economy, including Igbo traders and other commerce people. I will package all the terminologies for clearing and forwarding and make it available to those who will need them,” he added.
He, however, commended some primary and secondary schools like the Staff School, University of Lagos, where French is a compulsory subject, for their encouragement and support. He also called on other schools across Nigeria to borrow a leaf from the Nigerian French Language Project, an initiative of the Federal Ministry of Education, that is currently working with other agencies to realise the project’s dream in Nigeria.
Asobele’s romance with French began about 50 years ago as a pupil of St. Augustine’s Catholic School, Kabba, in present day Kogi State. The professor, who was one of the ball boys to Holy Ghost Revered Fathers from Quebec, Canada, founders of St. Augustine’s College, learnt his first French word from the priests. The Canadian priests who had endeared themselves to the ball boys encouraged the lads by not only constantly addressing them in French but by also providing English translations.
Aside the influence of the Canadian Reverend Fathers, Asobele also gave credit to the then Northern Region government for what he called its excellent educational policy, which was aimed at encouraging Northerners to learn French. In fact, Northern Nigeria under the late Ahmadu Bello supported the study of French so much so that it had to send people like Adamu Ciroma, a former Finance Minister, to France in 1962 to study French. The trip, facilitated by Bello and Hamani Diori, former President of Republic of Niger, later provided opportunities for other young scholars.
Asobele, who trained at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, UNN, could have attended Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, which was quite popular at the time but opted for UNN because of certain reasons. “During the Civil War, the Igbo were broadcasting in French and English. And in far away Sokoto, we usually tuned to Radio Biafra in French. So, I said, when I finish my sixth form, I must attend University of Nigeria because their French was so good on Radio Biafra. And that, for me, was the only place where I enjoyed the fruit of the civil war. This, for me, was the good from the war because UNN had crack interpreters and translators who worked for Biafra during the rebellion,” he recalled.
Asobele, who presented his inaugural lecture, Misunderstanding Too Often Leads to War: Translators and Interpreters as Peace Makers, last June, is also the author of other books on linguistics and French language. They include Le Francaise All Nigeria: Une Cartographie, meaning: French in Nigeria: A dynamic Roadmap; Developing Communicative Skills In French Language; Francophone Heritage in Africa, Le Francaise au Nigeria, New Perspective in the Training of Translators and Interpreters in Nigeria and Essentials of French Grammar For Predominantly English Speaking Learners.
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