•Raise the alarm over threat to indigenous languages
With about 520 languages, Nigeria is considered one of the most linguistically diverse countries in the world. But a gale of extinction hounds her indigenous languages, with 29 of the country’s major and minor languages said to have already become extinct, while 29 others are on the brink of extinction. Specialists in linguistics blame this on the propensity of members of various speech communities in Nigeria to ditch their native languages in favour of alien ones. The situation, which has left sour taste in the mouths of concerned stakeholders and the authorities, has prompted intensified calls to prioritise the use of mother tongue in teaching and learning to reverse the depressing trend. Assistant Editor CHINAKA OKORO reports.
Ikenna Azunna, 6, is a primary four pupil of one of the primary schools in the Eastern part of the Nigeria. Every day, he sleeps off in class any time his teachers come around to teach them. The only time he is agile is when Mr. Ekenta comes in to teach the class. Ekenta teaches his pupils in their mother tongue (Igbo language). Azunna will ask him questions on anything he doesn’t understand.
During examinations, Azunna scores highest in Mr. Ekenta’s subject and performs poorly in other subjects that were thought in English language. The Head Teacher of the school, Mazi Ikekwe, was surprised and curious at the development. It was revealed that Azunna does well in the subjects taught in his mother tongue than in the English language.
This prompted Mr. Ikekwe to make it mandatory that other teachers should teach the pupils in their mother tongue. The experiment paid off, as the pupils could understand all their teachers taught them in their mother tongue. With the development, specialists in linguistics began to examine the benefits and necessity of the impact of language barriers in teaching and learning at the basic education level, a challenge, they maintain, has often been ignored, especially at the primary school level.
From Ikenna’s school in the East to Abuja, to the core Northern states and down to the Southern region, there is an increasing apprehension about children who are in schools but are not learning, especially those in the rural areas – because they are not taught in their mother tongues. The situation has become scary, as there are no indications of a quick improvement, based on the report of the World Bank, which indicates that “70 percent of Nigerian children at basic education level are unable to read, write or solve elementary numeracy tasks.”
Again, a somewhat damning report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) revealed that “three out of four children of basic education age, six to 14 years in Nigeria, cannot read a text with understanding, or solve simple mathematical problems.” This could be as a result of a lack of understanding of the rudiments of the subjects they learn, which are in languages they are unfamiliar with.
Fears are that when children are not sufficiently exposed to their mother tongues, they will lack linguistic roots. This explains the decision of some state governments to make mother tongue an essential feature of teaching and learning.
One of such states is Abia, where the State Government, apparently worried about the imminent extinction of the Igbo language and the sure loss of culture that the language embodies, recently announced plans to make Igbo language a compulsory subject in its school curriculum. The initiative aims at preventing the language from becoming extinct.
It is easy to see why the Abia State Government decided to rise to the occasion. Language is central to all human activities, and culture is linked to development and civilisation, with linguists noting that culture cannot achieve its creative and utilitarian potential without the vehicle of language, even as they maintain that the accumulation and dissemination of the fruits of human creativity y and intelligence cannot be realised except through the vehicle of language.
With about 520 languages, Nigeria is considered as one of the most linguistically diverse countries in the world. Some of the common languages spoken in Nigeria are Hausa, which is the largest ethnic group and language; Yoruba, which is spoken by over 47 million people; Igbo, over 31 million people; Ibibio, over 10 million people; Fulfulde, 13 million people; Kanuri, 4.6 million people; and Tiv, five million people.
Other languages spoken in Nigeria are the Ijaw cluster, Nupe, Karai-Karai Kupa, Kakanda, Edo, Igala, Mafa, Idoma, and Efik.
English is the official language of Nigeria, but experts say it’s less common in rural areas and among people with lower education levels. Language specialists believe that Nigerian Pidgin English is the most common lingua franca in Nigeria, spoken by over 60 million people.
However, the major languages spoken across the six geo-political zones are Hausa in the Northwest and Northeast, Yoruba in the Southwest, and Igbo in the Southeast, with the Northcentral and Southsouth zones having a mix of various languages.
Each of Nigeria’s six geo-political zones contains various smaller ethnic groups with their own languages. Hausa is considered the most widely spoken language in Nigeria due to its prevalence in the North while English language is used as a common language for communication across different ethnic groups.
According to experts, the Northwest is the stronghold for the Hausa, with some Fulfulde and smaller ethnic languages spoken therein. The Northeast is primarily Hausa, with some Kanuri and other smaller ethnic languages. The Northcentral is a mixture of languages that include Tiv, Idoma, Igala, Bassa, Nupe, Gbagyi and Yoruba in some areas. The Southwest is predominantly Yoruba. The Southeast is also primarily dominated by speakers of the Igbo language. The Southsouth is diverse with languages such as Ibibio, Izon, Efik, Urhobo, Isoko and others, depending on the state.
Nigeria’s dead languages
Fears are that if UNESCO’s prediction is anything to go by, about 29 minor languages in Nigeria may be in danger of extinction. This is despite 29 minor languages that have already become extinct.
Sadly, it is on record that Nigeria has nine extinct languages already. The dead languages as listed by the National Council for Arts and Culture are Ajawa spoken in present day Bauchi, Basa-Gumna of Niger State, Auyokawa which used to be spoken in Jigawa State, Gamo-Ningi, a Kainji dialect in Bauchi State, Homa of Adamawa State, Kubi of Bauchi State, Kpati formerly spoken in Taraba State, Odut which used to be spoken in the Odukpani area of Cross River State and Teshenawa, formerly spoken in Jigawa State.
Some of these languages, experts say, became extinct between 1920 and 1940 as speakers switched to the Hausa language.
Experts in linguistics have noted that language loss results in loss of cultural heritage because language is said to be deeply intertwined with culture. In the circumstances, therefore, losing a language would indicate losing a significant part of a community’s cultural identity.
To avoid this kind of unkind situation, linguists say efforts should be intensified to keep indigenous languages alive.
Based on this, the advocacy that children should be taught in their native languages, at least in the primary stage of their education has heightened. This is termed mother tongue education. Proponents of this advocacy say the children will learn fast and better when they are taught in their mother tongues.
Mother tongue is the child’s first language that he acquires as well as the language of the child’s linguistic environment. It is, therefore, the language of the child’s father or mother or both. The child acquires (not learns) its mother tongue from the speech community.
Mother tongue education is any form of schooling which uses the language or languages that children are most familiar with to help them learn. This is usually the language that children speak at home with members of their family.
Linguicide or language genocide
What situation translates to “death” or “loss” of a language? Authorities believe that any language that has no native speaker left is dead. Languages die gradually when members of a speech community abandon their native language and speak those alien to them.
“The death of a language can start from the home. Probably the most common cause of language death is “language shift,” which entails a community that previously spoke only one language starts to speak additional language. The community first becomes bilingual, not discarding their native tongue, but soon they start to use the new language more and more, until their native language is no longer in use.
“Language shift can happen naturally. Sometimes, the community decides that they would be better off if they learned a more socially acceptable or popular language, as its members would then have access to social and economic opportunities otherwise unknown to them. Whatever the reason is, “language shift leads to language death, but at least the death is a gradual one,” according to Dr Ifechigha.
Other reasons that can lead to “death” of languages or extinction is when children are not exposed sufficiently to their mother tongues at the crucial ages of between 0 and 5 years when the process of acquisition begins, preference for other languages other than one’s mother tongue in day-to-day interaction and multi-ethnic and multi-lingual situation that forces people to adopt a foreign language such as English (in Nigeria’s case) to bridge the barrier of intelligibility, among others.
Language genocide or linguicide can be described as forced death of a language. This entails the “killing” of languages without killing the speakers. A Sociolinguist/Ethnolinguist at the Universidad Del Tolima, Colombia, Joshua James Zwisler, described linguicide as “the deliberate destruction of a language or the forced assimilation of a language into another. It can involve banning a certain language in schools and its use in public or in print.
Zwisler further explained that “linguicide refers to the killing of a language, while linguistic genocide might imply a more extreme level of destruction associated with the genocide of a whole people.” This indicates that in war time, if the entire community is wiped out, there may not be an individual left to continue with the native language of such a speech community.
A perfect example of linguicide is placing a ban on “vernacular” (native language or mother tongue) in schools where English language is the medium of instruction.
Global languages statistics
No one can say with certainty the number of languages spoken globally. This is because languages are in a flux. However, Ethnologue, a trusted resource site that is considered the most comprehensive catalogue of the world’s languages published by SIL International, notes that there are 7,164 languages spoken by people around the world, excluding dialects. This number is said to be constantly changing because some languages become endangered and die out as their speakers start teaching their children a more dominant language.
However, experts contend that only 20 languages are spoken by 75 per cent of the world’s population and in different regions. For instance, of all the languages spoken in the world, 30.1 per cent of them are spoken in Africa, 14.8 per cent are the spoken in the Americas, and 32.3 per in Asia. Australia/Oceania has 18.5 per cent of all languages spoken in that region, while Europe has only three per cent of all languages spoken.
Why experts are pushing for mother tongue education
Proponents of the mother tongue policy have argued that it will enhance learning outcomes. They noted that using the mother tongue as a medium of instruction can improve early childhood learning and comprehension for students, even as they posited that teaching students using their mother tongues will help in cultural preservation.
This is so because promoting the use of mother tongues can help in preserving cultural heritage and identity. It will also ensure equity in education because it can provide access to quality education for students who might struggle in a language they are not familiar with.
Experts are of the view that when mother language is made essential in teaching and learning, it entails placing premium on a child’s native language as the primary medium of instruction in early education.
Are there benefits in deploying mother tongue in the teaching of pupils at the foundational levels of education? A one-time Senior Lecturer in the Department of Curriculum Theory, Faculty of Education, University of Lagos, Dr. Chinedu Ifechigha, says “yes.” He said using mother language in teaching enhances learning outcomes. According to him, “Children learn best when concepts are explained in a language they understand deeply, leading to better knowledge retention and critical thinking skills.”
He added that the method will lead to improved access to education because “For children from diverse linguistic backgrounds, mother tongue instruction eliminates language barriers, making education more accessible and inclusive.”
The Chief Executive Officer of the National Library of Nigeria (NLN), Prof. Veronica Chinwe Anunobi, is also a sturdy supporter of the use of mother tongue in teaching pupils in schools. While throwing her weight behind the policy, she noted that the national policy on education should be made more effective to ensure that children are taught in their native languages for effective learning.
Quoting copiously from section 8(g) of the 6th edition of the National Policy on Education, the Professor of Library and Information Sciences said through policy enunciations, the Federal Government has made efforts to enhance the use of mother tongue in the teaching of mother tongue at the foundational levels.
Prof. Anunobi stated: “Every child shall be taught in the mother tongue or language of the immediate community for the first four years of basic education. In addition, it is expected that every child shall learn one Nigerian language.”
Continuing, she posited that “the policy aligns with UNESCO’s advocacy for Mother Tongue-based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) in early childhood and primary education, to reflect linguistic and cultural identity in learning. “The benefits of this initiative,” she said, “are far-reaching, so much so that it will transform education by integrating cultural heritage into learning, thereby fostering a deeper connection between pupils and their environment.
“Additionally, it contributes to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4), which promotes inclusive and equitable quality education for all.
“Teaching pupils in their mother tongue enhances cognitive development and literacy acquisition, enabling them to grasp concepts with ease and develop strong communication skills. If effectively implemented and sustained, this policy could serve as a model for other states, ultimately fostering greater intellectual output in Nigeria’s indigenous languages through literature, academic works and documented knowledge.”
On policy implementation, Prof. Anunobi stated that the policy is expected to be implemented by all players in the education sector, since there are relevant agencies that are charged with the responsibility of enforcing it.
On how seamless using mother tongue in teaching in schools across the country would be, the NLN boss affirmed that “it is possible to develop a curriculum of learning in Nigerian languages since we have them in the major languages already.”
“The National Library of Nigeria, as the custodian of Nigerian languages, is making efforts targeted toward safeguarding our languages. We preserve all Nigerian publications, including those written in our languages for education, history and research. So, we have a role in promoting Nigerian languages publications for the success of the policy,” she said.
Prof. Anunobi, however, identified the lack of curriculum and texts as major impediments to this policy, noting that once this is tackled, the implementation will be seamless.
The policy also enjoys the backing of a lecturer in the Department of Nigerian Languages, Igbo Unit, Alvan Ikoku Federal University of Education, Professor Lucy Megbegasha Apakama. Describing the use of mother language in teaching pupils as key to preserving cultural heritage, she emphasised the importance of teaching Igbo language in schools at the foundational stages.
In an interview with The Nation, Prof. Apakama said: “The National Policy on Education states that a child should be taught in the language of his environment. However, the policy lacks implementation, which is why Abia State’s decision to prioritise Igbo language in the teaching of subjects in schools is forward-looking.”
Another advocate for mother tongue education is a former Director of the Centre for Igbo Studies, the University of Nigeria Nsukka, Prof. Chris Uchenna Agbedo, who stated that “developing a realistic national language policy for Nigeria is a task that is possible if the exercise is devoid of individual biases.”
Agbedo told The Nation that attempts to have a national language policy had been quite contentious since 1977 because much of what had been done were all talks without action.
Calls for the policy’s reversal take centre stage
Despite the numerous and obvious advantages of making mother tongue education the primary mode of instruction, some stakeholders say there are also demerits inherent in such a system. Some drawbacks include potential challenges in transitioning to a national language, limited access to wider educational opportunities and potential resource constraints in certain regions.
For instance, the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, has appealed to the National Council on Education (NCE) to approve the reversal of the mother tongue as the medium of instruction from primaries one to six.
She made the appeal at the 2025 Extraordinary National Council on Education meeting in Abuja, where she noted that “the implementation of this policy has been challenging due to the vast number of languages spoken across Nigeria. With over 500 languages in use, the task of teaching in multiple mother tongues has proven difficult, leading to calls for a policy adjustment.”
Ahmad also called on the council to approve the review of the National Policy on Education to restrict the use of mother tongue to Early Childhood Care Development and Education (ECCDE) and primary one.
The NCE had previously advocated using the mother tongue of the immediate environment as the medium of instruction in the first three years of primary education, leading the Federal Executive Council to approve its implementation on 30 November 2022.
In support of the call against mother tongue education policy, the minister presented a document to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday, February 5, 2025, titled “The Use of Mother Tongue or the Language of the Immediate Environment as a Medium of Instruction in Nigeria at the Basic Education Level.”
In the document, the minister noted that “Nigeria has 625 languages, and the objective of this policy is to promote and enhance the cultivation and use of all Nigerian languages because so much has been lost owing to the extinction of some local languages and the government is determined to preserve the people’s cultures.”
She stated that the policy provisions have been hampered by some implementation challenges such as limited teachers trained in indigenous languages, limited availability of instructional materials and textbooks, shortage of qualified teachers/resources, preference for English due to career opportunities, leading to resistance of mother tongue; parental and societal perception which will create difficulty in shifting from mother tongue to English at higher levels.
According to her, this affects students’ performance in subjects that require strong English proficiency, transition challenges, which entail that many languages lack uniform grammar and spelling, making them taxing to create a universal curriculum.
Prof. Ahmad’s position sure speaks to the perceived impediments to the implementation of mother tongue policy. The calls for the scrapping of the mother tongue policy, it seems, primarily stem from its implementation complexities due to the vast linguistic diversity in many regions. This leads to difficulties in selecting a single “mother tongue” to teach in.
Some other key reasons for the push to scrap the mother tongue policy include that it is taxing to choose a single dominant mother tongue for instruction, especially in multilingual areas where numerous languages are spoken. Many teachers cannot handle certain linguistic issues, as they may not be fluent in the local mother tongue, a situation that leads to ineffective teaching.
Another impediment in the implementation of the mother tongue policy is the lack of learning materials. This is so because the shortage of textbooks and educational resources in various mother tongues hinders the implementation of the policy. Again, there is concern over language acquisition, as some have argued that focusing heavily on the mother tongue could impede students’ ability to acquire proficiency in the national language or English.
In addition to this is the issue of student diversity. In areas with multiple mother tongues, students may have different native languages, making it difficult to cater to everyone effectively.
The Minister, therefore, advocated “the reversal of the provision of the policy on the use of mother tongue as a medium of instruction up to primaries three and six.”
