Douye Diri Supports Ijaw Language App at Awareness Summit

Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri expressed his administration's support for the Ijaw Language App, Dayama Demo, during the Ijaw Language Awareness Summit held at the DSP Alamieyeseigha Memorial Banquet Hall in Yenagoa. The summit, themed “Reviving The Izon Language: Heritage, Our Identity, Our Future,” was part of the 30th anniversary celebrations of the state's creation.

Governor Diri highlighted the urgent need to revive the Ijaw language, which he noted is becoming extinct, and called on Bayelsans to actively participate in preserving their cultural identity. He commended Ijaw music artist Asu Ekiye for organizing the summit and announced that it would become an annual event.

Diri urged private organizations to support the promotion of the Ijaw language and directed the Commissioner for Education to organize quizzes and debates in Ijaw in schools. He acknowledged the efforts of his predecessor, Senator Seriake Dickson, who initiated the revival in 2018 by adopting the Kolokuma dialect as the official language and recruiting teachers for its instruction.