The Bible Society of Nigeria (BSN) has unveiled the fully translated Holy Bible in Okun, a Yoruba language dialect spoken in Kogi, Kwara, and Ekiti states.
“We now have the full Holy Bible in 27 Nigerian languages.
“Translation or revision is ongoing in 10 other Nigerian languages,” the BSN General Secretary and Chief Executive Officer, Pastor Samuel Sanusi, said at a press conference in Lagos on Sunday.
Sanusi said with the completion of the Okun translation, the society has set another record in Bible translation, noting that the exercise was achieved in a record time of five years.
“With this, we have broken the global record of Bible translation which we previously held for completing that of Igala common language in 11 years.
“The United Bible Societies (UBS) set a target of 12 years for the completion of any translation project. This has not been achieved by any society except the BSN,” Sanusi said.
He added that the speakers of Okun dialect, known as Okun people, are one of the Yoruba major ethnic groups.
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The BSN boss said the translation of the Bible cost about N87 million and thanked individuals and organisations who donated towards the project.
Sanusi called on governments at all levels to work towards the preservation of the nation’s languages by enforcing their usage, especially in schools.
“Our Languages are our identities and an integral part of our cultures.
“By translating the Bible into Nigerian languages, we are helping to preserve the languages and cultures of our people.
“It costs a minimum of N120 million to complete a translation project if achieved in eight years,” Sanusi noted.
He stated that the fully translated Bible in Okun Language would be dedicated on November 3 at the Apostolic Church Nigeria, Agirigbon, Ayetoro-Gbede, Kogi State.
He added that the BSN would dedicate additional 77 chronological Bible stories in the Nigerian sign language for the benefit of the hearing-impaired faithful, saying the dedication would hold on November 26 at the Bible House, Research and Development Center, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
“With this, we have completed a total of 222 chronological Bible stories.
“It is only the United States of America that has the full Bible in sign language in the world and was achieved in 2020 after 38 years.
“We are trusting in God that a time will come when the deaf in Nigeria will have the full Bible in the Nigerian sign language,” Sanusi said.
He noted that the BSN also emerged as the global leader in English Bible distribution, a feat it achieved by distributing 1,145,232 copies of the English Bible in 2021.
The BSN added that the Bible Society of America came second with a distribution figure of 1,118,174, while Kenya took third position having distributed 455,817 copies.
Sanusi, however, sympathised with victims of recent flooding in the country and called on all tiers of government to do more in ameliorating their sufferings.
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