Once again, I’m reminded that there is a difference between Lagos, Ibadan and the rest of South West Nigeria. There is a reason Lagos stands like an Iroko and Ibadan is the mahogany. The rest are just playing catch-up.
The retinue of a strong conglomerate of people speaking same language is seen in Lagos when you see people of same tribe meet for club meeting or party. The coastal nature of Lagos makes it the major beacon of intercultural diversity in Nigeria. I haven’t been to Portharcourt or Ruobu or Daura nor Zaria, so I may not be right.
In my travel here to Ekiti, I have seen that one of the most common feature here is how they take advantage of their small hegemony to create same talking rhythm and establish location superiority.
To be sure you’re not from any place in Ekiti, an indigene speaks in a very different tonation. It is different from the normal Yoruba that I have grown accustomed to in Ibadan. It is also different from the Yoruba of the settlers in Minna. Somehow it is also different from the Yoruba of Abeokuta who, in my opinion, speak the crudest plain Yorùbá in the whole of the Nigerian hemisphere.
The beauty of travel in Nigeria is, there is no Google Play store app that compiles, assembles and compiles the difference in the Yoruba and interprets to common Yoruba. It is just like asking why Western Germany feels their language picks up the quality when you place it side-by-side by Eastern Germans.
Not too much difference I must tell you!
Here in Ekiti, your status as an outsider is confirmed not because you can’t eat Pounded Yam, it is in the way you speak your Yoruba. You won’t be stereotyped but it is a great way to say, “This is a Traveller!”
So, let me offer you a great advice, if you’re travelling to any western city in Nigeria outside Lagos, Ibadan, Abeokuta, and Sagamu, you might want to devise more ways to get the locals to trust you. Don’t depend on your pure Yoruba talents. It won’t help you at all.
I humbly agree that I couldn’t pronounce some places here the right way because it has a tonation and normal pitch attached with it. Not the Garbage In Garbage Out Yoruba that’s the reality.
Once you are headed to Ondo, Akure, Ilesha, Ipetu, Ekiti or Ado, forget about relying on your Yoruba. Just switch to your English. That way, you won’t disgrace the small pride you bring from your fine big city. And, don’t speak Dictionary English like Jumoke Odetola. The moment you bring cataclysmic words to the table your hosts will withdraw. And, Ekiti has lots of professors but they’d rather communicate with you in pure, simple and uncomplicated ENGLISH
Consider this as a travel guide from a nice human being who was disgraced in the bus while trying to mingle with People of Ekiti🤣🤣
Lumipee 