Indigenous language newspapers need sustainable development

There is a conspicuous importance of having newspapers that publish in the indigenous languages for the indigenous population in a democratic dispensation. The indigenous languages are the key components of their respective cultures. If the indigenous cultures must survive, the indigenous language must be constantly used if a language must have life so as to be constant, the indigenous media must be seen to be using it. The survival of the language is, in some way, depends on the print media (newspapers) (Salawu, 2004: 8). In addition the indigenous language newspapers have cardinal roles of promoting previously marginalised languages, preserving indigenous cultures let alone upholding democracy. Nevertheless, these newspapers are struggling to sustain themselves in the print media industry. It is therefore, critically important to examine the factors that adversely affect the sustainability of these newspapers.