Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola has pledged to support D.O Fagunwa Foundation in its bid to foster the use of indigenous language, literature and cultures in the country.

Fashola who made this remark during the D.O Fagunwa Third Memorial Lecture, held at the Afe-Babalola Hall, University of Lagos, recently, also stated that there has been renewed call for the use of indigenous languages not only as a form of expression but in transmitting knowledge in schools in Africa.

He regretted that some Houses of Assembly in the country, including Lagos state have only been toying with the idea.

Recounting that "a foremost African novelist from Kenya, Prof. Ngugi Wa' Thiongo had formally taken up his decade long campaign by writing novels in Kikuywi, his native tongue. Our own Prof. Babs Fafunwa, internationally -acclaimed educationist, has been in the forefront of this campaign. What is more? The National Policy on Education makes the use of indigenous languages mandatory in our schools".

The governor, who was represented by Rev. Adetunji Adebiyi also lauded the foundation for its effort to foster the use of indigenous Yoruba language, literature and culture in schools, particularly in the south-west geo-political zone through Fagunwa's inspiring books.

Saying: "You are not only immortalizing Fagunwa, but also contributing to the development and growth of the country through the perpetuation of literature that educate, inspires and entertains".

He also noted that the late Fagunwa was the first recorded African to write novels in an indigenous language.

According to him "Fagunwa blazed the trail and set the trend others have followed. That is genius, an educationist himself who founded schools, taught in colleges in Owo, Lagos and Benin-City before becoming a senior education officer in the Western Region Ministry of Education, Fagunwa practiced what he preached. Given its intrinsic value in assisting people to comprehend and understand basic concepts of nature and their surroundings and thereby applying them for developmental purposes".

Adding that language enables people to function properly and creatively and contribute to civilization.

"And when used in the business of literary creativity it becomes a vehicle from transmitting and preserving a people's culture as embodied in Fagunwa's works"

He also stated that Fagunwa's works captured and projected Yoruba philosophy, worldview and cultural heritage adding that his novels preached the virtues of courage, love and family values through his heroes and heroines, thereby using Literature as a tool for moral reawakening, social justice and compassion for others.

Delivering his paper, Prof. Bisi Ogunsina identified that the major area that has been neglected remains the philosophy in Fagunwa's novels.

He said until recently, Western philosophers did not believe in the existence of African philosophy. Even as most philosophers concentrated on the western philosophy.

He also noted that the systematic study of Yoruba philosophy is still at its infancy just as little has been done to establish its authenticity, adding that Prof. Oladipo has shown that Yourba philosophy exists in Yoruba oral and written literature.

He therefore called on literary critics and scholars of philosophy to conduct research into the rich culture and bring out philosophical contents in them. Noting that there is no doubt that African philosophy is best done in African languages.

He also called on the Ministry of Education at the various tiers of government to rise up and not allows the indigenous language to die, adding that, "the children should not be enslaved to learning and speaking foreign languages."