 The International Mother Language Day is observed every year to promote linguistic, cultural diversity and multilingualism. This day recognizes that language and multilingualism can advance inclusion and sustainable development goals, focusing on leaving no one behind. These years' themes set by UNESCO focuses on using technology for multilingual learning, plus TV Africa's UNROSIG or HACC Hasmore in this report. Language plays a vital role in development and in ensuring cultural diversity. It is estimated that over 400 languages are spoken in Nigeria, with major languages, Hausa, Yoruba, Ibu, Fulfidi and Ibibu, among others. Sadly, there seems to be a threat to traditional languages and Nigeria is not an exception. It is quite common to see young Nigerians who cannot have simple conversation in their mother tongue as globalization takes the centre stage. I don't speak English when I'm at work, but if I'm at home, I don't speak my language. I speak my mother tongue often, especially if I'm with my people, or if I'm with any of my tribe or person. But the situation whereby I am not with them, I don't speak that language. I don't speak my mother tongue except in my house, or except I see a friend or anybody that speaks the same language with me. So most likely I do English all day. I'm director of research and studies at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, IFEM Ubi, helps on this year's theme, which focuses on advancement of languages through technology. Every language is supposed to have characters, you know, an accent that helps to pronounce the words. Now people are supposed to have done that, you know, and be able to come up with this character and the pronunciation of what's used in the accent, you know, how it should be written. The sense of the language itself for technology to be, you know, for us to leverage technology in making this language more accessible in terms of people learning these languages, you know, through, say, multi-media technology, learning this language through the 21st century technologies like the computer and the internet and all that. Ubi insists Nigerian education system must be standardized with a nationally accepted language. For me, you know, it's going to be sounding funny in a way. You see, the pigeon English is something that has bind Nigerians together. So if we can create a language out of the pigeon English, because if you go to the north, you want to speak, for not not to understand, you speak the pigeon English, you can't speak Hausa, you come to Lagos to speak the pigeon English, if you can't speak Yoruba, or you go to any other Yoruba town, if I go to Igbo states, you know, within that speak the Igbo language, and I'm not from Igbo. The only national language that is binding on the pigeon English. In a country where the lingua franca is the English language, the question is, how can the wide gap of local languages and English be closed? Perhaps a conscious effort from the home front may go a long way. Hello. Hope you enjoyed the news. Please do subscribe to our YouTube channel and don't forget to hit the notification button so you get notified about fresh news updates.