LET HAUSA, YORUBA AND IGBO BE THE LANGUAGES OF EDUCATION IN NIGERIA

... a Tijjani Muhammad Musa post on Facebook

We've been calling for this development for the past 2 decades, no one is listening. Now, our similarly colonized sister, Ghana is boldly forging ahead of us. English will no longer be the means of imparting knowledge on its people.

Just to reminds us all, no people among the advanced countries of the world is using a foreign language for its official governance, not to talk of education of its citizens. An indigenous language or more of the majority of the nations citizenry is adopted as the national language for government and education activities.

But here in Nigeria, due to ethnic and regional sentiments among many other setbacks, we have refused to allow common sense prevail over our national and collective interest.

No wonder, we keep registering monumental failure in our educational system at all levels. We have to wake up to this reality if really we are serious about becoming a nation to be reckoned with in this 21st century.

~ Tijjani M. M.

*** Initial reactions to the post above from various Nigerians of Facebook is featured below in our VERBATIM Segment. Enjoy the exchange and you can add your own opinion to the discussion.

Said Muhammad Tudunwada, Habeeb M. Stranger, Musa Isah and 117 others like this.

Patricia Lindsay Yes

Muhammad Dami Gberejaye It is improbable

Sikiru Giwa Total liberation at last.

Tijjani Muhammad Musa Yes Sikiru... :) Though some people are so used to slavery, they hate the idea of freedom.

Alexis Onome-Egborge Well, hausaland never really let go of hausa, all these years!!

Tijjani Muhammad Musa Alexis, yes. They've never let go. Even on social media they communicate prolificly. And in their state houses of assembly, they officially adopt Hausa as the language of conducting all state affairs. And there's not a single problem to it.

Sarah Alli The giant of Africa !!!

Muhammad Mansour Ibrahim Have written this article years back but no one care to listen. May be we have lobby our Rep members

Tijjani Muhammad Musa Yes, I remember when we raised the issue in the late 2000s into early 2010s. We must keep hammering it on the anvil to shape it into desired form. We are the ones loosing out wAllah.

Murtala Adamu Aliyu 100% In support i think this will ginger our writers to think of publishing educational materials based on language name sa far as i know everything has a name used by natives no matter how small... for example if you want to know any part of an animal ask a butcher he will tell you in you native tung..... etc

Najeeb Bashir Dutse Exclude Igbo...

Muftahu Aliyu Shuaibu Good job, you describe igbos correctly.

Lanre Abdurrazaq Though I like the idea of weaning ourselves of traces of colonization but I'm not sure possible is dropping English as medium of instructions in Schools.

In the South-West it's probably possible but how possible is it to have Hausa as the medium in North, especially North Central? Would we use Igbo as the medium in both South-East and South-South? Would the Ijaw people accept them?

I want to believe Nigeria is unique because the sheer number of languages and dialects we have. Using English Language seems to be more convenient.

However, we probably have to more local languages, cultural and historical studies made compulsory for students in schools.

Tijjani Muhammad Musa Comments from various persons on the same topic is providing area of conflicts that will need to be attended to or fine tuned in order to make it work. Good thing about it is everybody sees the viability of the idea and the need to have it take effect. Overcoming the obstacles is the task we all have to contend with.

Bright Edomwonyi Benjamin Back to stoneage

Tijjani Muhammad Musa Edomwonyi, go ahead it's alright to be scared. Many good ideas are initially related to like that... :D

Melvin O. Nzefili how will removing english from imparting knowledge in nigeria work when you have over 200 cultures that speak over 200 different languages? force the other over 198 cultures into 3 cultures because the 3 cultures are the only important ones and the others aren't?

Tolulope Odukoya It may be a lofty idea if we really see to building a sustainable framework which is devoid of corruption like most of our projects. However, that should be the foremost issue on our minds as we settle the myriads of "wahala" on our national table right now.

Tijjani Muhammad Musa Melvin, you are stacked on all sides with obstacles your mind create, which to your belief are unsurmountable. Meanwhile I've just scaled.them to bring to you inside those high fences this possibility. I'm scaling back out of your "comfort zone". Watch how I do it and you might possibly free yourself too.

Melvin O. Nzefili What obstacles? You could have at least answered the questions..you're suggesting Igbo, yoruba and hausa should be thelanguage of education in nigeria like they're the only languages we have. Answer the question i've asked, you can't be stiffled since your language is among those suggested, so the rest of us our cultures can do what , learn yours and the other two, why not learn mine and the other ones? There are many other factors you have obviously failed to consider with your suggestions and have presumed that I'm a prisonner in my own mind, when you don't even have a clue what's there.

Tijjani Muhammad Musa At least now we are looking at possibilities. Which language is that pls? It can be studied too. What's the problem in that? None I believe. Still the one most people understand and interact with will hold sway. Rule of nature. Way of progress. Can't help you with that.

Melvin O. Nzefili Ufuoma was right.... you don't make any sense at all, assuming you even try to make schools in Nigeria start adopting different native culture in teaching in schools, it does not help in any way, because there still needs to be a language that all the cultures understand to be able to find a common ground. In China for instance, the official language is Mandarin, but they each have their various languages which they all don't speak. China has a very powerful economy and now they are getting their people to learn the English language, because it is spoken by many countries in the world (to expand on their business prospects). In Nigeria here, despite the fact we manage to even speak bad English and not all the states have people that understand pidgeon English, we are not even united, now you're suggesting to eliminate what most people have in common. You don't seem to know that there are so many Nigerians that neither understand nor speak pidgeon English, only their native tongue.

Tijjani Muhammad Musa Odukoya, it is a grNd idea indeed. That is the first step, acknowledging it is. What is next is NEXT... :)

Tolulope Odukoya Tijjani Muhammad Musa, The next step is reviewing the merits and demerits given the challenges that the education sector is currently facing in Nigeria.

Tijjani Muhammad Musa Tolu, yes. Only it is not about the education sector only, it is an all encompassing approach. But reorientation in schools using motheer languages across the nation is what is paramount, where the 3 major languages which most people in ghe regions, even if not from those ethnic groups do understand will compliment the drive. Let's teach our people science and technology in Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo Ijaw, Kanuri, Nupe, Urhobo, Igbira, Tiv, Igala, Idoma and so on. I assure you, even if people do not pass their WAEC and NECO well, the application of the knowledge will amaze us all.

Tolulope Odukoya Whatever the case may be, now isn't the time for that.It involves the overhaul of the sector and several other issues will come into play. However, one of the first things is to equip the educational sector by providing appropriate learning facilities and not students learning while sitting on bare floors. It will amount to doing the tight thing at the wrong time bro.

Ufuoma Utuetu Lets even assume there is some sense in what you are saying cos I see none, how does adopting our indigenous language as the official language and language of instruction foster unity and development?

Who told you there are no advanced countries that use foreign languages as language of governance. What is the official language of Ireland, Australia, Hong Kong, Liechtenstein?

Which brings me to the most annoying part. Is this the most pertinent discourse we can have now with the current state of things in the country? Or have someone lost his/her sense of priority? I think the problem some of us are having is that we are overfed and are beginning to act like the Am3ricans who do not know what do with their excess wealth that's why we can put up issues that are irrelevant. If you were struggling to survive like some of us are, you will not be coordinated enough to put this garbage here.

Lanre Abdurrazaq Tijjani, my own fear is the proliferation of medium of instructions and the expected difficulties of coordinating them to specific standards.

I would prefer if we make local languages, cultural and history of tribes as a compulsory subjects for students. I feel it will ensure our students know and appreciate their language, culture and history.

The simple fact that we don't a dominant language like the Chinese have Mandarin, it would be difficult, not impossible, to implement this laudable idea.

I'm a sucker for our local languages, culture, religion and history. I don't buy into how we've allowed both the Arabs and the Europeans to erode our own identities. Some dialects in Nigeria are already disappearing. Not good at all.

Don Obi Austine I would have prefer pigine English because it's easier to understand and can be used in our schools to teach students and it will be effective because there is no part of Nigeria that doesn't speak pigine english even the illiterates understand the language very well and can be used as our official language.

Tijjani Muhammad Musa Ufuoma, negativity defines your nativity... You are welcome to be your pessimisive self. Free your soul from dormancy and stagnation broh. Move on pls.

Tijjani Muhammad Musa Lanre, look it has happened a long time back. My wonder was where we (Africans) were when civilization cane and offered all the advanced races the opportunity to resist any other's language, but their own for their governance, commerce and daily interactions and thereafter impose it on lesser mortals, who are now so pleased with slavery, they hold their master's own in higher esteem and would resist the offer of freedom from both mental and physical slavery. My poor people... Hyaaaah! :(

Ufuoma Utuetu You dey speak oyibo! Priority and relevance man, just a little sense of both.

Tijjani Muhammad Musa Ufuoma, mush as I dey speak am, I speak ma mama tongue much much beta... :) Priority and relevance, I've long been denied. I don't want same happening to my back.

Tijjani Muhammad Musa Melvin, see. You just said it many people do not understand English or pigin. Can't we impart knowledge on them in their native tongues or must it be strictly English like we are having now? English can be taught as a subject like all others, but let the people learn whatever it is in their mama's language. When we converge at an exhibition, workshop, seminar, national and international events, let us then employ English to converse and transact. Nobody is saying don't speak, study or use English for your activities. No. But, when it comes to teaching our people something, do it in the populace native lingua-franca period.

Melvin O. Nzefili I said pidgin, not English... don't twist my words to suit your commentary. Most already communicate in English why complicate issues. What you would've been campaigning for, is for a way for each cultures having some sort of self preservation, and no one needs to wait to go to school to have that, it should transcend school and the environment. You should be think of ways to make things easier not complicate them. English is taught in schools now and people are not learning it well, how will dampening it making any useful. As for teaching in native tongues you should go to remote villages it has been like that for ages, it's nothing new, and I have suggested to them to either get text-books in their native tongue for their students since they are using the native tongue to teach, rather than using the native tongue to teach while giving notes in English (makes no sense) and they scoffed. You can teach children multiple languages and they will pick up on all of them.... they are not yet like adults who have growing difficulties learning newer languages. If you are going to suggest something as ambiguous as this, you have to consider every factor involved which clearly aren't doing.

Tijjani Muhammad Musa Tolu, let's get back to the basics. If you are terribly hungry, would you be asking for meat, egg and salad with the rice you are getting? I don't think so. Would you be satiated eating the rice, or it would not quell the pang of hunger, until and unless there is chicken, vegetable salad and fruit juice as part of the menu? Common!

Tolulope Odukoya Tijjani Muhammad Musa I do not follow the last comment in which you mentioned me.Please read my last comment again.

Tijjani Muhammad Musa Tolu, I'm with you pls. All I'm trying make us embrace is let's educate with each of our languages. Seeking for chairs and desks is secondary in the matter. In fact, if we can do it in the comfort of our bedrooms via the internet, all the best. But make sure it is done in ournative language. Dazz'ol :)

Tolulope Odukoya Seriously...You must be kidding me. You talked the use of mother tongues in SCHOOLS as means of instruction. Now you are talking about learning in our bedrooms over the internet. I am a teacher and I know the overbearing importance of proper educational facilities as they enhance quality education.

Tijjani Muhammad Musa Ol' school style teacher I presume. No disrespect meant pls. But the future of education is what I've just given you an insight to. Trust me, school will migrate on to the net and all your teaching instructions as a teacher or lecturer will be online. So, easy does it on those chairs and desks thing is all I'm trying to tell us.

Tolulope Odukoya @ Tijjani Muhammed Musa Hahahaa... You are a bigger ignoramus. Online education is really the thing but it cannot replace traditional classroom for all forms of instruction...kindly ask those who know cos you obviously do not know. I never condemned any of your ideas, all I said was that now isn't the time for the introduction of native languages as means of instruction in classrooms. Go and sleep I don't like joining issues with people like read halfway... no disrespect meant. I WORK IN AN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL.

Tijjani Muhammad Musa Tolu :), be in denials, it doesn't really matter. Just mark my words. Nigerian languages for education and online schooling for pupils and students is all what our future is talking about. Pray we live that long to witness it. Else our future surely will. You're appreciated... :DHahahahahaha.

Lanre Abdurrazaq I like the idea but I'm yet to be convinced on how practicable it can be.

I mean, it will tend to divide Nigeria further through the regional lines. The North using Hausa is medium of instructions. The South West using Yoruba. The South East using Igbo. The South South using Ijaw. How do we find a common ground to interact? English? Years down the line most people won't be able to understand English anymore and Nigerians won't be able to communicate with each other without using a translator. That's not convenient. That's not unifying.

Like I said before, if we had a single major local language like the Chinese have Mandarin it would be much easier.

Jones Betabwuyishekwoyen Katau-Mairubutu This cannot happen in Nigeria for we don't have a national language....See More

Tijjani Muhammad Musa Yes, it can. Ghana too has multiple languages. It is all a matter of compromise and negotiations. Unless we want to forever remain stagnant

Jones Betabwuyishekwoyen Katau-Mairubutu True but it isn't near ours... Our multiple languages triple theirs.

It was tried with WAZOBIA but it didn't work for those termed minorities wanted to be fully represented too. Most of them can't be represented fully by the Trio supposed main languages, Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba

Tijjani Muhammad Musa Yes, details that need to be discoursed by experts and patriots to facilitate it. We can do this.

Nana James A'huoma Hmmmmmm.... This will cause further division... How will a yoruba student communicate with a hausa or ibo

Kiru Taye I'll be interested to see how it works in Ghana.

Tijjani Muhammad Musa Nana James :) common! As if people will be held at gun point not to utter any other word, but these 3? Kai! It might turn out to be fun, job creating, and very identifying and progressive. Think possibilities beyond negativities.

Tijjani Muhammad Musa Kiru Taye, an opportunity to say "Thank you" for so much. Stay :) I truly appreciate you. And yes, I'm with you on that Ghana adventure...

Christian Udo In as much as i am a strong advocate for this policy, i vehement believe that d system won't work in a multilingual nation like Nigeria, pardon me if i sound so pessimistic. How would u feel @ Mr. poster if u r forced to learn another person's language at this stage of your life? Your response is not far from mine.

Kayode Ogunleye In my time in secondary school, it was a crime to utter a word in our mother tongue during school hours. A crime punishable by manual labour in the school farm or the surrounding bushes all around us.

It was so bad that I "consciously lost" my ability to speak Hausa language fluently. My first indigenous language.

"COLO" MENTALITY!!!

Tijjani Muhammad Musa Kayode Ogunleye, same legacy they want us to bequeath our children for their children, our grand and great grand children. Yet, some of us who are moment livers, with no foreright think it's cool. It's absolutely saddening.

Tijjani Muhammad Musa Christian Udo, you are thinking about you. We are thinking about your children. You are thinking about now, we are weighing what's going to come tomorrow.

Bucci Davy Ubani How many languages do you have in Ghana? make the comparison and see if it's the same in Nigeria.

John Akpan So, what would happen to the other millions of non-speakers of the three languages? Some few individuals always like to forget what Nigeria is!

Tijjani Muhammad Musa Bucci, it doesn't matter. There is only one answer to that question. It is either mono or multi-lingual. For each, the approach is similar if not exactly the same.

Tijjani Muhammad Musa It is exactly what Nigeria is that prompted this post John. Else we'd have forged on still asking for us all to embrace our mother tongue and stop being colonial mentalists.

Chinedu Jonathan Ichu emotions will always take the front seat and run so high..has he told us make the languages disappear?

Christian Udo Thank u for reminding me that there is a tomorrow, a fact i did not dispute @ Musa. But, may i remind u once again of d huge benefits of d English lang. particularly in an all-rounded technologized age as this. I wonder how many Nigerians will read your work if u r a writer. Similarly, have u considered how much disadvantaged u would b outside d sphere of your nation with regard to communication? It is worth reiterating that d system MAY not work in a multilingual nation like Nigeria. Finally, d problem with Nigeria is not d lang. barrier but with some rapacious souls who believe that d nation belongs to them. Therefore, it is high time we began to beat d middle of d drum rather than beat d sides yet expect d same sound as d former. #istillratenaija.

Tijjani Muhammad Musa Chinedu, no language will disappear which its owner are willing to keep. In fact more languages are becoming extinct now with globalization rather than celebrating cultural identity the world over.

Tijjani Muhammad Musa Udo, nothing stops English from being used for whatever it is needed for. But to impart knowledge on any child, nothing beats the mother's in making him or her understand the subject best. And that is simply what we are advocating. No more, no less.

Will it be a crime to communicate in English? Of course not. But to learn as well as write exams in a language foreign to the learners is a retardation. If it were good, let the English use French or German or Spanish or even Yoruba to learn and be tested in their schools. But, no, no, no. None of these are doing this.

India, Russia, France, Germany, England, Israel, Arabs Countries, USAmerica etc all use their languages to teach and learn and govern. Yet, we Africans are so used to being enslaved, we translate knowledge from our colonial masters tongue to own before we start grappling with what it means.

How can we rise above that? Something is terribly wrong with us, I tell you. We must make the necessary move to catch up or else, we are as good as the plantation boys.

Christian Udo U still do not get my point. In my first message, i pointed out that i am a strong advocate of d policy but... Back to your point, if using d lang is a form of retardation how about other of their products(permit me for digressing, d situation calls for such) that r being used here. Will those b pushed to d other side? I'd better rest my case. I still insist that d problem with Nigeria is far from what we r here emphasising. Until we r ready to take d bull by d horn, I'm afraid, d nation may not reach her promised land, let's stop fiddling while Rome burns.

John Akpan @Musa: I didn't seem to get the meat of your post . . . Still a problem of colonial mentalist? Now, to test the integrity, workability and practicability of this great idea; and more important, to keep it straight and simple, let all Nigerians vote to choose just ONE of the said three languages as medium of instruction in our school system.

Tijjani Muhammad Musa Udo, if we have anything better than what they have to offer, we should use it. Our language is better than theirs, where imparting knowledge is concerned. So, we use ours. If our cultural heritage is better, why use theirs? If our family values is more enriching of life, ours should be it.

Mode of transport, communication, construction etc, if theirs is better than our own, we should gladly opt for theirs. That's how it works. After all, it's not for free. We pay for it, with our hard earned money!

In fact, when they see anything of ours that has value, they take it and do "plastic surgery" to it, so we don't recognize it as our own, then they use it as theirs and even repackage it and export it back to us. Many cases to cite as example.

Typical is our crude oil. They take. They refine. They bring back to us. They sell it. They take away the profits and gains.

Muhammad Kabeer Mahmood Even the so called colonial masters refused the EU.NYC post my dear

Abdullahi Rabiu That's very nice.

Aliyu Muhammad Gud

Adamu Musa very very good

Taufiq Amin Yahya Good thinking but in a country with more than 300 ethnic groups; I don't think is possible. Only nations with homogeneity in lingua-franca succeeded in such projects.

Tijjani Muhammad Musa Taufiq Amin, multi-lingual franca are often used in situations typical of ours. Most other languages in Nigeria understand these basic 3. Nobody is crazy enough to say his own language must be included, unless he wants to be impossible. And just because they accept a language to use does not erase the fact that theirs, though a minority is not important to them and to the nation.

Susan Henshaw Explain to me why my children should be learning Hausa, Yoruba or Igbo? Their mom is Efik and their dad Edo. Nigeria is not like Ghana or other countries. It is unique because it has several languages. Everyone teach your children about their language and culture. That's required. There does not have to be a "lingua franca" you force other tribes into.

Tijjani Muhammad Musa Susan :), who says your child has to learn Hausa, Yoruba or Igbo? You are Efik and his father Edo, educate him or her in his primary language of communication, his mother's I presume. Why? Because his brain is most absorbing of knowledge with it. English is taught to him as a subject he will need to communicate with others, period. But for education? He should be imparted in Efik or Edo or any his people speak the most? Will that retard his developmental drive? No. Rather, it'll enhance it best. So is the universal truth, no matter how hard we choose to be in denial.

Abubakar Isa Let us take only a language. There are too many. Let's adopt one national language and banish the rest so that our tribal sentiments should end.

Tijjani Muhammad Musa Abubakar :) that's asking for trouble.

Abubakar Isa There has always been troubles. Let's face the trouble and finish it up. European countries did others did why not us.

Femi Animashaun I sure hope this isn't typical thinking where you're from. Anyone who thinks like you is entitled to being the first casualty.

Femi Animashaun Impossible. Mark my words. Ghana makes a lot of money from Nigerians going to school there. It will impact their economy if they try it. What about their exchange Student programs? Ghana is a little too small to impose languages past its boundaries.

Taher Danfodio Yonos Ethnicity variations and regional sentiments of course overcome us!

Tijjani Muhammad Musa Well, time for us to overcome it or them.

Taher Danfodio Yonos yes, time.

Al-Mustapha Musa Iliyasu Dido But three languages cannot be used as "official language". Our case is different from Ghana's. Any attempt towards that will divide Nigeria.

Tijjani Muhammad Musa Good observation Dido. So how many? At least our brain is considering. We are thinking. Many are proffering solutions to questions hitherto unasked. Let's start somewhere else, nothing will be achieved.

Al-Mustapha Musa Iliyasu Dido Our ego will not allow us to help ourselves. Otherwise we have two rich languages that have what it takes to be used officially.

Tijjani Muhammad Musa Namely?

Al-Mustapha Musa Iliyasu Dido .

Al-Mustapha Musa Iliyasu Dido Hausa and Yoruba

Shehu Ibrahim Nigeria is a multilingual nation, therefore; its difficult for the country to agree with one voice for the elimination of English language as the official language in the country.

Tijjani Muhammad Musa Shehu Ibrahim but surely not impossible, right? There is hope then.

Shehu Ibrahim We do hope that sooner or later the sky to become our limit, then.

Tijjani Muhammad Musa *Thumb up*

Ese Gabriel Vasco OK, let's adopt my language.. This is a great impossibility in Nigeria, unless the country finally divides. It may work in Ghana because there is one tribe that is truly dominant in every sense of the word but there is no such language in Nigeria. Though, all the three major languages may be adopted but I am sure, my Benue will refuse to speak Hausa as official language, Kogi will refuse too. The Niger Delta will refuse to speak Igbo and it will create a downturn. Whatever was not done at independence remain undone in this regard.

Edwin Grace Then shld adopt my language too cus I can't be forced to speak someone else language. Ghana does not have many language like Nigeria so we shld not compare.

Asonye Augustine Daniel English is the best language for us, we dont know how to make instances in nigeria

Abubakar Ali Hotoro In support 100%

Zakariya Zakari This is my experience in Bangladesh and the understand better with local language

Tijjani Muhammad Musa Thanks Hotoro.

Zakariya, thanks for sharing and.so why should be blind to this reality, retarding our progress?

Sa'id Muhammad Tudun Wada I trust you TJ

Awwal Kiyawa Ahmad Reasonable

Tega PastorSon Benson So, what happens to Urhobo, Tiv, Gbagyi, etc?

Tijjani Muhammad Musa Details to be addressed by those who are knowledgeable in the process of execution. Who'll learn how to handle it with precision just like it is obtainable in other places where such has been adopted. We are not an isolated case. Examples abound to learn from.

Hope Otu call for true Federalism first. U cannot b doing dis wen there is d concept of federal character system. Why is dis call not by a tiv or gbagyi person. Wen English schooled nigerians brought us out of colonial rule where was the language speaking tribes. They rather brought confusion. If english is for a 'white man', den we should giv dem back dia democracy, technology and even religion. Giv a man/country its due honour who have been able by toil of mind create, review a language dat adresses every facet of life. The yoruba language which used to b called 'awo d secret language' have not been reviewed for d past 20yrs. Does any Nigerian language have a word for email, xonophophia, etc. Lastly, b4 u start praising ghana, study d effects of dat policy

Tijjani Muhammad Musa Hope, so many issues you raised that need to be responded to. But the short of it, go study Hausa, an international language by most standards and you'll be amazed. Returning technology, democracy and stuffs like that, do we actually have it or are just using it, albeit retrogressively too. Pls, let's understand exactly what we are being taught first and foremost, before we can determine what we are given and so create an improvement of it like many others are doing. But our biggest problem right now is TRANSLATING ENGLISH TO OUR LANGUAGE first, before analyzing which information it contains, then take advantage of it. Typical example you cite. What is "email" to a typical none educated Nigerian?

Comfort Olubo Umaru All languages matter! Sorry to sound so cliché. But it usually reeks of ethnic superiority and attempt at ethnic cleansing when one out of many is pushed to the fore front so that others should fade away. Before you talk about the merits and demerits of adopting a language, we could go the way of L.L Zamenhof and create a new language which uses words from everyone.

Tijjani Muhammad Musa Comfort, your preference is romancing the stone. We are at liberty to try or to be tied.

David Edikan Umana This is all debate and suggestions, all should be welcome. I look forward to deliberation on this same matter, for implementation.

Tijjani Muhammad Musa David Edikan, thank you man. Yet some of us would want to flex their tongue muscles over it.

Chinasa Uwakwe Infancy can assimilate 12 languages simultaneously 
hmm
why limit us

Skye Amajoh true

Tijjani Muhammad Musa Chinasa :O so you know something this valuable and you never spoke up? That is a serious disservice to humanity, hoarding knowledge. Habaaa!

Sokeipirim Daboanji Eliminating english in Nigeria will cause the nation to divide e.g here in rivers state we hv 23 L.G.A and these 23 L.G.A'S has different languages, so how do you expect it to work

Tijjani Muhammad Musa Details we have to work on. It can only happen if we believe it can first and foremost. First, let's accept it can be possible and will be progressive to us. Then we can ask the questions.

Sokeipirim Daboanji Ok, but how can these work. Will the ministry of education see it as a welcome development, will house of senate or assembly pass the bill,

Mubarak Alabede Well, I Hope It Works For Nigeria...

Tijjani Muhammad Musa I hope so too. Only that hoping will not be enough. We must work towards achieving it. We can't afford to remain behind,especially here in Africa.

Mubarak Alabede Absolutely. And There's No Harm In Trying To Change The Trend. But Alot Of Obstacle Awaits Such Progression. Nigeria Will Be Facing Both Internal And External Threat Though.

Tijjani Muhammad Musa What's new under the sun. Wane dare jemage bai gani ba? We must just overcome.

Mubarak Alabede Lol. Sai Na Mutuwarsa. As A Student Of History With Little Knowledge Of Anthropology. I Know It Will Be Almost Impossible For Students To Communicate With English As A Lingua Franca Of The Nation. After The Elimination In Schools. But Do You Know That...See More

Tijjani Muhammad Musa Thank you Alabede (y)

Prince Adede Bobo Fuck english

Terry U G Ifeaka I am greatful for being tought English. Anyone from a proper home can learn their native language at home (your mother's tough). Imagine a world where you can't understand half the things on the Internet because they haven't translated it? :D

Mireia Mesalles well..Imagine a world where you can't understand your past, some countries and corporations will be really happy to increase their power because of this historical disconnect. That's why they did it.

Rozenia Johnson There are many people all over the internet who converse Only in their native/traditional language, both written and verbal....China, India, for example.

Terry U G Ifeaka the type of info they get are restricted. Your Google result in French is totally different from mine in English. It would provide jobs for whoever that would be translating it (and we have software that tries) but it would be like an handicap and easy for gov't to censure.

Nailah Akinyemi-Sankofa Yeah because basing our knowledge of and understanding of what's on the internet is the most compelling and important reason in the WORLD to speak/read english! Wow really dude?! So what was the rest of the world doing to OVERstand everyone before the freakin internet? And what will happen when the "lights" go out for everyone everywhere?

Tijjani Muhammad Musa Prince Bobo >_< Yaaaik!

Rozenia Johnson Yes!!! Preserve Your Traditions and Culture.

Tijjani Muhammad Musa Terry U. G., common don't so mean to yourself and be like a slave that likes being shackled so much he begins to hate the very idea of freedom... :)

Tijjani Muhammad Musa Mireia and Rozenia, pls talk to him :)

Monroe Pastermack Grand idea at one level..however will not prepare for working the the world; where English is the language of business.

Victor Idem U want to promote Arewa or Oduduwa olonization. One colonial madter is enough on one lifetime... Manage your language, we will manage ours. #Englishonlyplease

Tijjani Muhammad Musa Monroe, yes it is grand. It'll still not prevent English maintaining it global status. What it will do however is open up and free our brain power and technological potential. Which is very vital to our progress as a nation. Once that happens, we are likely become more viable as an economy on the global stage. English will still be taught at schools, but not at this domineering level.

Monroe Pastermack I understand thanks

Tijjani Muhammad Musa Victor :) Once colonized, always colonized, your stance? You deserve better. You are already intimidated in your mind. Free thy soul... :D

Victor Idem Your name points to the possibility of you being a descendant of the pretenders to the throne. Well, you will jave to come up with a stelathier way to recolobize the rest of Nigeria... Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo r not the only languages spoken by the citizenry.... so maintain your lane, bro

Victor Idem ...stealthier...

Terry U G Ifeaka Anyway, thank god for private schools (incase the government mess up, their are always alternative). Our native languages were passed verbally and not in classrooms hence we write with the English alphabet. If you really want to be free, invent your own alphabet like China, Ethiopia, India and so on.

Tijjani Muhammad Musa We have already Terry. Almost 30 years back. A-Z too and numbets too.

Rozenia Johnson Tijjani Muhammad Musa Peace to You. Is the written language / alphabet that you are referring to in your above post, the Aroko?

Tijjani Muhammad Musa No. Something entirely different.

Tijjani Muhammad Musa Idem, think wider than the scope you've confined your mind to. There are possibilities beyond impossibility.

Martin Ijomor A very important first step towards national growth and development.

Jide Aje One can have a great command of both one's ancestral language and an official language such as English.
Being only able to converse in Yoruba would have been very restrictive to me.
The idea that Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo be the languages of instruction in Nigeria is very flawed because these are not the only languages spoken.
I say the Nigerian child/student or citizen should be able to at least access English, French, Spanish and at least two Nigerian languages.
This can only open up more opportunities and not less.
If the Ghanaians think this will work for them-fine.
I am however skeptical.

Monroe Pastermack All of that makes sense to me. Thank you Jide.

Najeeb Bashir Dutse Exclude Igbo...

Nailah Akinyemi-Sankofa And the same goes for Arabic, Portuguese, Spanish and any other "conqueror" and colonizer's languages place before and above our organic Afrikan Ancestral tongues! Y'all do know white folks (that includes Arabs) forced Afrikans to learn their languagesbecause they wre too lazy and arrogant to learn ours. In addition they wanted to be able to understand us especially when we were plotting against them (or so they thought) and because you can't subjugate and manipulate Afrikans even in their own lands as thoroughly as the majority was (and still is) by not taking their indigenous languages (and Ancestral spiritual systems) away from them. Or make Afrikans believe their tongues and real religionsns are inferior. That's why so many Continental and Diaspora Afrikans are so brain washed even now. Wouldn't it have been so kool had I been able to write this entire comment in all Yoruba or Twi or Hausa...?

Tijjani Muhammad Musa Only it is not about the education sector only, it is an all encompassing approach. But reorientation in schools using mother languages across the nation is what is paramount, where the 3 major languages which most people in the regions, even if not from those ethnic groups do understand, will compliment the drive. Let's teach our people science and technology in Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo Ijaw, Kanuri, Nupe, Urhobo, Igbira, Tiv, Igala, Idoma and so on. I assure you, even if people do not pass their WAEC and NECO well, the application of the knowledge will amaze us all.

Wole Akinyemi The best education is rooted in the culture. Check out japan, France, Russia, China and Israel. Language is the vehicle of transmitting that culture, education and civilization.

Tijjani Muhammad Musa Wole (y) sound submission.

Wole Akinyemi Thanks Tijjani

Olumide Onigbogi Not so true....

Tijjani Muhammad Musa Olumide :), pls elaborate on that comment. Benefit us from your wisdom, pls.

Alexanda Olawale A good

And the discuss goes on still...