In my previous articles, I raised some serious matters, one being the complications in the use of English language in Nigeria as the national language. I strongly condemned and considered it an affront, antithetical, and a burden in respect to what we are and who we are as a people and as a nation. Compromising our languages under any circumstance[s], especially when it comes to national pride, is not only aberrational it is a tragedy. It is important to state categorically here that a nation’s national language is inseparable from the national character, development, science, education, and anything nationalistically driven and found amongst our peoples. Suffice it to say that Nigeria for over 45 years of its existence has erroneously and shamelessly adopted another nation’s language and has atrociously gone as far as making English its lingua franca. To the point that the miscued behavior, in this writer’s view, is attributed to its unforgotten nemesis of foreign-interventionism, including post-slavery, postcolonial-traumatic syndrome, let the healing begin today. I suggest that English language becomes the last language, if not jettisoned, after all other languages in Nigeria.

The fact that we are still using English language as our national language reveals an appalling state of the country’s psyche about its identity and direction as a republic. English language showcases, as part of the conspiracy theory, the demise of Nigeria languages, which curiously pitches us in trenches one with another. Regionalism, ethnicism, and nepotism are partly traceable to our misunderstanding of regional and ethnic languages found in Nigeria. Nationalism, self-actualization, and national identity will continue to elude us in as much as we live, adore, and dwell on anything foreign and disrespect anything indigenous.

In your face, fellow citizens, commentators, and visitors alike, both at homeland and abroad, I have a question to ask each of you. My question to you is: What language would you prefer as Nigerian national language?

Could it be Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, or any other? It is important to make the language case as part of the ongoing national dialogue. I have presented to you three major languages of Nigeria, the Big-Three [BT] nations. This is because the BT are Nigeria’s dominant ethnic groups, the dominant languages and the macro-nemesis since the 1914 Amalgamation that resulted in the country we call Nigeria. Yes, we know and understand that Nigeria is a child of circumstance. You can call it a bastard and what not. Regardless, at the end of the day, Nigeria-state has come to stay, unless we say to each other and peacefully through national dialogue that we are tired of each other and have decided to bid each other farewell. Otherwise, we have to figure out how to come together linguistically.

Asa reminder on this national issue, I have enclosed some of my previous linguistic constructs, which were raised in my article in response to another article titled, “Ngozi as our next President” project. In part of the aforementioned article, I retorted thus:

“Many Nigerians in far lands, more often than not have gone through hypnotization and pornographization and other social-cultural transformations to the point that they confuse developments at home with those found in their adopted countries. These and other borrowed elements from foreign countries are more often than not antithetical to the psycho-cultural dynamics found in the homeland. For example statistics show that about 90 percent of Nigerians in foreign lands by omission or commission, negligence or ineptitudes or all of the above do not speak, read or educate their children in their local Nigerian dialects. Yet these groups claim patriotism while linguistically their practices at their individual homes are antithetical and unpatriotic. For me, to speak, read and educate our children in our local dialects are elements of patriotism and indeed a national pride.”

That said and as part of the ongoing national dialogue in finding a way forward for the country called Nigeria, what language should be adopted as the national language? Admittedly, the question projected above is a hard nut to crack in today’s Nigerian sociopolitical theater. Ethnic and regional chauvinism and pseudo-patriotism are impediments that would not allow for an intelligent judgment when it comes to selecting a singular language acceptable to all Nigerians for its national language.

There is nothing wrong in trying with an open mindedness to choose a national language. After all, developing new language mechanisms, by adopting three languages for all Nigerians (Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba) ahead of English language for example, in addition to other languages found across Nigeria, is a doable and a beautiful thing to do. When this concept is accomplished, Nigeria will become a model and a hallmark of accomplishment. By accomplishing something never accomplished anywhere in the world, Nigeria would have set the pace and become a model to other nations when it comes to coexistence and national pride. Other nationals would flood to Nigeria for research and to learn and seek to know how Nigerians succeeded. They would come to Nigeria to learn something, to learn something unique from Nigerians in additions to other accomplishments. If records show that it was possible and doable in China, Russia, Britain, and elsewhere, then it is possible and doable in Nigeria.

We cannot continue to use other English, the language of Britons, while our indigenous languages are in decline in our homeland, homes, and workplaces. Our youths are facing humongous challenges at home and abroad when it comes to our languages and some of our parents, brothers, and sisters are not doing a good job in this matter. Markedly, something is wrong and something needs be done to check this national decline with immediacy. A decline in the use of our languages is a decline in our character, ethics, education, culture, traditions, and everything else.

Could you imagine, during this Holidays I place a call to my family in Nigeria. I spoke Igbo language with my parents and everything went pretty well. When it came to my younger brothers and sisters, some of them -- not all -- wanted to converse with me in English, even though I was communicating with and speaking to them in Igbo. As far as linguistics and its mechanics are concern, the foregoing scenario was a catastrophe.

How come if you go to China, they speak, teach, educate, trade, and transact business in Chinese; if you go to Russia, Russians speak, teach, educate, trade, and transact in Russian; if you go to Germany, Germans speak, teach, educate, trade, and transact in German language; if you go to Britain, the Britons speak, teach, educate, trade, and transact in English; if you go to Arabian countries, Arabs teach, educate, trade, and transact governmental and or private businesses in Arabic; and if you go to France, the French teach, educate, trade, and transact their businesses in French. Sadly and unfortunately, when you come to Nigeria, with its beautiful regions and beautiful ethnic nations, you see something different: language decline and strangely so. It forces its citizenry to teach, educate, and transact its businesses and governmental activities in a foreign language called English. This is a smack in the face and a disgrace to Nigerians, Nigerian nationalism, and its national pride.

Even our President and leaders should begin to use our languages or any of the Big Three [BT] languages to communicate at intergovernmental functions. We should teach and learn the BT languages. Where necessary use it at the comity of nations. Nationalities who find it difficult to comprehend the languages at the United Nations or other international platforms should be provided with trained interpreters. This is a national duty and a responsibility for each of us.

National language has its advantages: It is will improve, increase our tourism network and better our national, regional, and local economies. For example, those multinationals coming to partner with us within the oil industry and others will have to smarten to learn our languages; if not, it might be impossible to operate and do deals within the industry and with other industries. It will also move our languages to the global stage and even become internationalized. The internationalization will set the language up to compete with other international languages in that order. Our languages will become a source of revenue because individuals and nations will flood our land to learn our languages in order to do business with us just as we are flooding their lands and learning their languages and doing business with them. It is a fair game.

Our local authorities or language instructors will become high value assets in high demand, respected at home and abroad. Everything is not oil and gas; our languages could generate us funds and better our economy, an additional engineering and source of revenue for the homeland. Let us choose one language or use the Big Three [BT] Hausa, Igbo, or Yoruba, as our national language[s] today. This is part of who we are. It is our national and local identity and a rubricon in preservation of our national pride. Nationally, regionally, and locally, our caveat and method of communication with one another will improve tremendously and get better each passing day if we pay attention in this new avenue. We will communicate with each other better and richer than before because it is our mother tongue. With an acceptable national language, we will be able to build better bridges for ourselves and for all mankind in the 21^st century. Using our local dialects and languages, we will be a smarter and stronger people and a stronger and smarter nation.  

 Carlisle U.O. Umunnah is a freelance writer in New York City, NY

Robot  # 1 | 08.01.2006 23:22

In my previous articles, I raised some serious matters, one being the complications in the use of English language in Nigeria as the national language. I strongly condemned and considered it an affront, antithetical, and a burden in respect to what we are and who we are as a people and as a nation. Compromising our languages under any circumstance, especially when it comes to national pride, is not only aberrational it is a tragedy. It is important to state categorically here that...Read the full article.

DeepThought  # 2 | 09.01.2006 01:38

Mr Ummanah. There is a lot I find contradictory about some of your writings and this your article on National Language makes it pertinent to call you on these issues. If I'm not wrong, some time ago, you wrote an article about Igbos being jews or something like that , in which I made a rather rude comment accusing you of smoking something. I had a reason for doing that. Please understand that I'm not against you promoting your views or particular ethnic group, so long as you don't feel it is necessary to put other people down in order to achieve your goal. Unfortunately, it is common to find that many people think the best way they can look good is by making others look bad. I sincerely hope I'm wrong in my suspicions about you as I find this kind of reasoning distasteful and will alway oppose this. Unfortunately I seem to detect the same thread of in your recent article about globalization; singling out the North for the woes of Nigeria. Please understand that I do not particularly like the North nor do I hold them blameless. However, I am of the mind that there is enough blame to go round, if we choose to go down that path. Secondly, if you insist on playing up your own race as supermen, please do so without equivocation.Don't go seeking validation from any external frame of reference, as you seem to be doing. Personally, I don't believe any race to be particularly favored by Nature, God or gods but for all I know, the jews may well be an admirable race. However, I don't think they particularly give a damn about you, the Igbo or jack. Thirdly, you really cannot have your cake and eat it too.You cannot in one breadth choose to play the ehtnic bigot and then immediately switch to the role of a nationalist or Pan Africanist without expecting eyebrows to be raised. Who are the so called BT and exactly how have they proven themselves big except in terms of greed, corruption and making trouble? What you are calling for is nothing but that we should now substitute European imperialism for an homegrown one. Perhaps you have not considered that Nigeria may be better off without the so called BT ?Are we to ask the so called minorities to subjugate their own cultures for our convinience? Are you kidding? There is a lot wrong with Nigeria today but I don't think the English language is a part of the problem. One can easily speak two, three or more languages solely for the purpose of convinient communication without any loss of culture, if in the first instance one knows what one is doing. Please lets seperate a language which is a mere tool from the corruption in the sould of the tool weilder. Does the fact that a gun is manufactured in England make it impossible for its bullets to kill an Englishman? That many people including myself speak English yet don't particularly like the English or feel any kinship with those souless people is a fact. Similarly many people will speak Yoruba, Igbo, e.t.c and yet do not feel any kinship with the Yoruba, Igbo e.t.c. Love for a nation is not manufactured and can never be manufactured. A child feels kinship with its (loving) parents ( please not the parenthesis) only if the parents have proved worthy of that name and have faithfully done all what we normally expect of loving parents. Therefore please don't put the cart before the horse and assume that by intoducing a million indiginous languages into the public spaces of Nigeria some bogus vision will magically emerge. Be assured, you will achieve absolutely NOTHING except maybe more strife. Blame the visionless lost for their lack of vision or rather the vision of loss which they have in their souls and have managed to impose upon Nigeria, rather than looking for hope in ephemerals such as language. Thank you

GemuhDesayinah  # 3 | 09.01.2006 13:20

Carlisle U O Umunnnah wrote: Compromising our languages under any circumstances, especially when it comes to national pride, is not only aberrational it is a tragedy We will communicate with each other better and richer than before because it is our mother tongue. But Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba WON'T be the mother tongue for millions of Nigerians who have ethnicities other than the "big three". Isn't that a tragedy for them? And how will they "communicate any better" using those languages? Also, it takes several years to become proficient in a language on is not used to. A widespread language change will cost a LOT of resources. What tangible difference will this imposition make in the lives of the average Nigerian? Will this remove corruption, or improve the economy or security? Aren't there more telling issues that determine Nigeria's current situation?

Umunnah  # 4 | 09.01.2006 14:17

Thank you for your response and for feeling the way you feel about my communications et al. However, the problem of Nigeria and Nigerians are multifaceted and multidimentional and Language is one of them. It has to be address as we address and move on with other national issues. You and I know that Nigeria is a child of circumstance you can call it a bastard entity. However, I am not changing anything from my Hebrewness or Igboness of my race am rather celebrating it; just as you celeberate Yoruba and Hausa and so on and so forth. The criminalities and illegalities in Nigeria stems from criminals manipulating projects, stealing and inflecting prizes and project benchmarks through finanically to benefits them while using foregin adopted language that everybody don't understand across the country while our people suffer. The fact some speaks English do not mean that individual is intelligent and vise-versa. Tell me why is it that we cannot adopt a local dialect or language in communicating to ourselves rather than sleeep and adore and patronize foreign interventionism and servitude of our people through foreign language and more. It is time we begin anew. Nigeria is made up of many nations if you don't know. Am a pan-africanist, pan-Nigerianist but am Igboman before I became the aforementioned names and what not. In this consideration, I don't know if that helps you in any way or the other ... I am a Biafran-Nigerian mean IgboNigerian and NigerianIgbo and so forth. You are Oduduwa or YorubaNigerian, or HausaNigerian and what not. It is time to face these facts live with it, to help us understand each other better. Adopting a national Language is part of the national dialogue. Chikena!

unregistered  # 5 | 09.01.2006 14:21

Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba and other Nigerian Languages have to come first before your foreign language called English. It is high time you people wake and stop fulling yourselves. Nigeria is made of of many nationalities and the earlier you realize to the better for you and me. National Dialogue: Adopting and National Language is the way to go. Wake up to it; wake from your slumber.

unregistered  # 6 | 09.01.2006 14:28

Mr. Umunna said it all here and am all for it. I am Onyigbo first, you are OnyeYoruba first, you are OnyeHausa first before you and I became William Willbalforces. Can some say Amen! Amen! Let us celeberate our culture and heritage today not tommorrow. The time has come, the tiem is now. Jay T.

Maazi Akanna  # 7 | 09.01.2006 14:48

Dear GemuhDesayinah - Did you read the article at all of you one of those that jump here and there like fowl without head. "To the point that the miscued behavior, in this writer’s view, is attributed to its unforgotten nemesis of foreign-interventionism, including post-slavery, postcolonial-traumatic syndrome, let the healing begin today. I suggest that English language becomes the last language, if not jettisoned, after all other languages in Nigeria. " Read articles before, ponder them, and approach them unemotionally. Jumping and jumpstarting without readinng it or them doesn't only expose you it shows the mentality of Nigeria and some Nigerians today. I wish you look in all that you do. Always listen, read and you will understand. Maazi Akanna

DeepThought  # 8 | 09.01.2006 19:31

Dear Mr Umunnah, Thank you for your response. I appreciate everything you've written though I may not fully agree with it all. Thanks once again.

Umunna  # 9 | 09.01.2006 22:27

Thank you very much for appreciating it and not agreeing with all said thereof. That the beauty of academic freedom. However nexttime, identify yourself and stay away from pseudonames and be who you ought to be regardless of our differences in Nigeria project. God bless. CUO

Naija for life  # 10 | 10.01.2006 00:42

Deepthought, True to your name, you offered the most prudent and pragmatic response to Umunnah's thinly veiled tribalistic disquisition. I have unsettling news for Igbos who disavow their negroid roots and elect to iddentify with jews: the feeling is not mutual! Legitimate Jews, as exemplified by most Israelis, do not consider you Jews! In fact, I am pretty sure most Jews have never heard of the Igbo tribe. The most pertinent category that defines you is the term that Anthropologists designate as guinea coast or true Negroes. In this sense you are, genetically speaking, exactly like the other races of people characterized by dark skin and short, tightly coiled hair that are indigenious to the western coast of Africa. That you speak a language distinct from and unintelligible to many members of this race is due more to a factor yet to be determined, but obviously having its deep roots embedded in the haze of ancient history. So there is not a dime's worth of difference between Igbos and other negro tribes. You are no better, and you are no worse. Regarding your advocacy of the adoption of one of the "big three" languages as our national language, why don't you mull over the circumstances that neccessitated the adoption of a foreign language as our lingua franca in the first place? Are you not aware that the decision to adopt a foreign language as our national language was made solely to serve as a linguistic amalgam to bind our nation together, composed as it is of numerous tribes, each endowed with their distinct languages, and nuances in cultures? And don't you realize that any tribe would feel slighted if one language was arbitrarily selected as the national language to the detriment of its own? I am unaware of the degree of conviction you have invested in this proposition, but I submit to you that anyone with even a rudimentary understanding of the tensions and petty jealousies ingrained in the Nigerian psyche would confidently tell you that should any indigenious language be adopted as the national language, the nation would summarily degenerate into chaos and internecine ethnic clashes. And I assure you, whatever pychological dividends the "winning tribe" might acquire from the affirmation of its "superiority" as a result of the adoption of its language, it will quickly be nullified by the almost certain bloodshed and mayhem that will follow. Abuja was chosen as the federal capital territory because it was perceived to be located in neutral territory, and it was believed that this choice would forstall any accusations of tribalism that would ensue were the capital to be located in any area dominated by a single tribe. And believe me, the question of a national language is even more sensitive than the capital territory. Since you are Igbo, how would you like any language other than Igbo constituted as our national language? Would you be willing to subbordinate your language to the recognition of a non-Igbo lingua franca?

---

The conversation continues in our forum. Click here to read all comments

---