By Muizdeen Adewole

The Institute of Translation Arts (ITA), University of Ilorin, has affirmed that linguistic diversity is a vital human resource and called for institutional measures to guarantee language rights and inclusion.

In a statement signed by its Director, Prof. Bolanle Elizabeth Arokoyo and the Deputy Director, Dr. Musa Siddiq Abdullahi, a copy of which was made available to the Unilorin Bulletin, the Institute declared that every language carries meaning, every voice deserves to be heard, and everyone deserves to understand and to be understood.

The statement was released at the end of the 2026 International Translation Day celebration held at the Faculty of Arts Boardroom, University of Ilorin penultimate Wednesday (September 30, 2026).

According to the statement, the participants affirmed that translation and interpreting are indispensable to meaningful participation in education, healthcare, justice, governance and business, and that they are distinct professions that demand competence, ethical practice and professional standards. The Institute also stressed that all languages matter, particularly Nigerian languages and other under-resourced languages, which must be strengthened and adequately represented in education, public communication and emerging language technologies, including Artificial Intelligence.

In its central demand, the Institute called on the University of Ilorin to institutionalise sign-language interpreting at University events as a demonstration of its commitment to inclusion and accessibility, to ensure that official documents requiring translation are handled through the Institute, and to encourage students across disciplines with requisite language competence to acquire professional certification in translation and interpreting alongside their degree programmes.

For its part, the Institute pledged to advance professional translation and interpreting through multilingual services, training and certification, Nigerian-language development, research and inclusive communication.

The statement was formally adopted by the gathering after participants unanimously signified their support with a resounding ‘Aye’.