In Nigerian schools, the English language is the medium of expression and instruction from primary school through high school and tertiary institutions. As the official language of Nigerians, English holds a high place in the hearts of the people. As a multi-ethnic country, each ethnic group in Nigeria identifies with one or more local languages, but due to the need to unite these ethnic groups without generating jealousy or ethnic disputes, English became an official but second language in the country. .
The predominance of English in the main domains of the country, such as the educational sector, the courts of law, the media, politics, business and interactions, has in fact left many people confused and impeded in the development of their ethnic languages. Today in Nigeria, a credit in English is one of the prerequisites for admission to a university or other institutions of learning. To ensure admission, it remains the only language of instruction used to teach other subjects except languages. No other Nigerian language is accorded the status symbol enjoyed by English. This is why a proficient user of the English language is generally respected in Nigeria.
As a language of interaction and a parameter for judging someone’s educational entertainment, the English language has managed to push all other Nigerian languages to the back door.
In my high school days, I attended a Science Teachers Association of Nigeria (STAN) exhibition which was held in the school premises. In the reference room, home of the exhibition, there were books on display for sale. Unbeknownst to me, the principal of my school was sitting behind the display table. When I approached the book seller, I asked for the price lists of the displayed books using my local Igbo language. My choice of the local language attracted the attention of the director, who gave me a disappointed look. His disgust at my choice of language sent me out of the aisle leaving the bookseller gaping, book in hand.
The next morning, I was the subject of his usual morning assembly speech. However, in my final exams, I shook it up even further by achieving only a Pass in the English language while having Distinction in my local Igbo language. Despite this great feat, I was unable to achieve anything with a high score in my local language until I passed English correctly on another exam.
In addition to helping to dampen people’s development and interest in their local languages, English also dominates the language of modern medicine, technology, academic publishing, and the Internet. Although Nigerians today have coined so many words from their local languages and integrated them into their spoken English for a deeper level of communication, it must be understood that our local languages appeal more deeply to our feelings or emotions. than the English language. Our local languages help to arouse emotions such as sorrow, joy, sadness, etc., and also make us more sensitive, for example, in times of war, whether to fight or make peace.
When we begin to accept our local languages as prerequisites for admission to our learning institutions or as a means of instruction in classrooms, it will help, not only for easier understanding by students, but also for the development of these languages. There is an adage that “the hood does not make the monk”. Nigerians should know that mastering the English language can never remove our Nigerian identity, it will never make us English!