UNIABUJA Students Win Cash Prizes for Guosa National Anthem Rendition

Four students from the Department of Linguistics at the University of Abuja have emerged winners in the "Guosa National Anthem Voice Competition," held as part of the 2024 Annual Guosa Language Day celebration on the university campus. The event saw remarkable performances as the students showcased their linguistic talents by rendering the Nigerian national anthem in the Guosa language.

Praise Oloidi, a 200-level student, clinched the first prize in the competition, while Precious Abah secured the second position. The third prize was shared by Pius Omowa and Mary Alao, who tied in the closely contested event. The competition highlighted the students' dedication to linguistic diversity and cultural heritage.

The Guosa Language evolutionist, Professor Alex G. Igbineweka, founder of the Guosa Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Institute, Incorporated, based in Oakland, California, was represented at the event by Ambassador Lilian Uju Ezenduka, Matron of the Guosa language community. Ezenduka conveyed Igbineweka’s message, describing Guosa as an indigenous zonal lingua franca created for Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The language evolved from major native languages across the ECOWAS region, including Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, Ga, Twi, Wolof, Bassa, and 490 other indigenous languages and dialects.

Professor Igbineweka also appealed to the University of Abuja's Guosa language community to support the growth and development of Guosa, which has garnered recognition from international academic institutions as a zonal language project for West Africa.

The 2024 Annual Guosa Language Day not only celebrated linguistic diversity but also promoted the importance of indigenous languages in fostering unity and cultural identity across the region.