What Is Your Name?

                         
                                         

                                            Nigeria’s National Assembly

Nigerians are very funny people. Why am I saying this? I say this because of the way some of them will respond to a certain question like in the title of this post above – what is your name?

Sometimes ago, I was watching a programme tagged ‘the Gavel’ on Channel Television, while I was lying down in the bed. In the programme, Channel Television was showing all the records of the proceedings in the National Assembly.

 At the hallowed chamber, any legislature member who wants to take make a presentation on the floor of the house must, first of all, introduce himself or herself, and the constituency he or she is represented before he proceeded with his or her presentation.

This honourable member stood up, grasped the microphone and said “Hmmm… my names are Honourable Prof. Michael Ibukun Ayodele Mc Anthony (not real name). I am representing Ibaka North constituency of Ogun State. Immediately I heard this, I got up from my bed, where I was lying down.  I said. “Haba... Prof., how can you say my names are…?

Notably, it becomes trendy to hear many of our honourable members in both Houses introducing themselves in that pattern; with a wrong expression. Looking at the calibre of these people, which many of them are well enlightened academically and travelled around the world, one wonders why they will come so low when it comes to the introduction of oneself in a wrong expression of English. Or is it a Nigerian English?

While I was thinking of what could have made some of the honourable Law-makers make use wrong English when introducing themselves, something just stuck on my mind. Could it be because some people in certain a certain of the country bears more than one name, so they use names in plural form?

This just reminds me of a naming ceremony I attended sometimes ago. A brother in our Local Church invited me for the naming of his baby boy. When the christening of the boy was about to begin, the Clergy called upon the parents to bring the name of the baby. The name of the baby, which was written in a piece of paper, was handed over to the Pastor.

The Pastor collected the baby and held the baby in his hands. He said “In the name of the father, the Son, and Holy Spirit, I name this baby; Daniel, oluwaseyi, Ayomide, olamide, tobiloba, Toluoluwa, Omoniyi, and olanike.

After mentioning all the names that the boy will bear, he called on all that came to witness the naming, to mention all the names given to the boy to his hearing. They all began to chorus the names of the baby one after the other. For the first time in my life, I realized that someone can have more than eight names.

 To my mind, I think this must have been one of the reasons why somebody will say “my names are…”, because he or she has so many names.

I strongly believe that they were taught in their elementary school that singular noun goes with a singular verb, on the other hand; plural noun goes with a plural verb. This is as simple as ABC. Here, a name comprises of first, middle, and surname.

Therefore, a name irrespective of how many names someone has must be in a singular form. That is my name (singular noun) is (auxiliary Verb) E.g. my name is John Bull not (my names are)…is wrong. In other parts of the globe, nobody is allowed to bear more than three names: i.e. your first, middle, and surname.

 I can still remember vividly when one of my paternal Uncles travelled out of the country for the first time to Poland. He was told to fill some forms, which required his name. He filled the four names in all his official document, which he has been using right from his primary school. This was totally rejected.

 He was told to fill in only three names, which includes his first name, father’s and Grand father’s name. He decided to drop the Grand father’s name. That is the reason why up till now, that my Uncle bears something slightly different from our name, because the family’s name was clipped off in the overseas.

Having some many names is not bad. But this cannot make someone to bear more than three names officially. When I was a little boy, I told my Grand-father that I wanted to know much about my lineage viz-à-viz their names and other things. He gladly told me and so I kept the records of the family names. Do you want to know my full name?

Yes, I will tell you but do not ask me to explain the meaning of these names. My name is Kufre-Abasi (native name) Fred (English name) Solomon (Christian name) Etop (Middle name) Akpan Udo Ekpo-Otu Udoeka Okrok Udo Obio Ikpa (lineage’s or family names). Does this sound funny? As funny as this may sound, but one thing is certain, I cannot mention more three names as a whole if somebody asked of my name.

Dear Readers, kindly comment on this post. What do you think makes some of our honourable members to say “my names are…” when introducing themselves?