28th May, 2010
Wazobia Awards billed for October in Lagos, is aimed at celebrating and showcasing Pidgin English to the entire world as the generally accepted and the official language for the awards, the organisers have said.
For the very first time in Nigeria, celebrities and other notable personalities as well as invited guests will officially mingle and network in Pidgin English.
They include Governor Raji Fashola, Prof. Dora Akinyili and Prof. Pat Utomi, among others, who are expected to receive or present an award in Pigin English, which, according to the organisers, is the essence, the beauty and the original nature of Wazobia Awards.
According to them, “Americans and Britons have created their own unique style and over the years, we Nigerians have copied them with little or no success, re-echoing the fact that we can never be better than or beat them at what is theirs as they alone, know how to do best. The time has come for us as Nigerians to put the right foot forward by celebrating our own in our own way, thereby creating a major opportunity to export our uniqueness across the world.
“Wazobia Awards creates the right platform to export our precious and exciting Pidgin English to the whole world, a medium to celebrate our own in our own unique and special way and an opportunity for the world to see something exciting and special about our great nation, Nigeria.â€
Laface, an entertainment guru and coordinator of the project, indicated that in initiating Wazobia Awards, it was important to create a unique selling point through the major use of Pidgin English.
He stated further that it has become a necessity for all Nigerians to collectively support this unique and enviable project, while also reiterating the fact that the growth of the key sectors of the entertainment industry i.e. music, movies, comedy etc., have been greatly influenced by Pidgin English, thus reaffirming the use of the language as a popularly accepted one in Nigeria.