By Aminah Abisola Abdulrazaq.
As globalization and westernization reshape Nigeria’s linguistic landscape, communities struggle to keep their ancestral languages alive.
A few months ago, I visited my grandmother’s hometown in Ode-Aje, Ibadan, to carry out an Oral African Literature project from my school - one that requires us to study the oral elements employed in our traditional and ancestral festivities. During this process, I recited the praise poetry and songs after my grandmother, which happened to be a shock to many. I was curious and had to ask why, and they said, ‘’for someone who was born and bred in Lagos, you speak too fluently your indigenous language. Many who have come here for school projects cannot even speak, talk less write;’’ and there, I knew there was a problem. Across Nigeria, thousands of indigenous tongues face a slow death as English dominates homes, schools, and airwaves.
Nigeria as a country has over 500 indigenous languages, making it one of the most linguistically diverse countries in the world. According to UNESCO, there is a threat to language extinction, and at least 40% of the world's 7,000 languages are endangered, and many indigenous languages are disappearing at an alarming rate. The country’s colonial history and emphasis on English as the language of education and governance have gradually eroded native fluency among the younger generation.
Decades ago, elders in Yoruba communities often gathered a small circle of children at dusk to tell folktales in pure Yoruba — tales of tortoises, tricksters, and talking drums. This act was not purely for the entertainment of these kids, but also for the preservation of the language and culture. Similar efforts are springing up across other parts of the country. In Enugu for instance, the Save Our Igbo Project, a youth-led NGO, runs weekend clubs where children learn Igbo through games, songs, and drama. “We realized the children could recite nursery rhymes in English but couldn’t introduce themselves in Igbo, “so we decided to make the language fun again,” says founder Chinyere Okeke.
But not everyone has such opportunities. Many urban families, eager for 'civilization' and upward mobility, are unintentionally abandoning their mother tongues. Many equate English fluency with intelligence, and as a result, children grow up unable to communicate in their mother-tongue, hence, causing the collapse of a whole cultural bridge.
According to a 2022 report by the Nigerian Language Development Centre, only 30 percent of urban youths can speak their indigenous language fluently, compared to the 75 percent two generations ago. The report warns that without active revival efforts, over 200 Nigerian languages could vanish before the end of this century.
Yet, hope persists — at home, schools, and especially online. Parents being the first teachers of children are expected to do more assignment. This involves communicating with their children from cradle using the mother-tongue, telling folktales in the indigenous language, attending cultural festivities, and consciously promoting their culture and heritage. Also, schools should stop treating mother-tongues as vernacular, and include their leanings in their pedagogies. However, challenges abound. Many schools that are supposed to teach in local languages lack qualified teachers or textbooks. Despite the National Policy on Education mandating mother-tongue instruction at the primary level, implementation remains weak. Also, promotion of culture and preservation of mother-tongues can be done through schools’ fun activities like cultural day.
Although, digitization and industrialization have come with many of its ills, it is safe to say that the pros outweigh the cons. In this context, social media influencers and content creators can also help to prevent the gradual extinction of our indigenous languages. From TikTok creators in Benue posting comedy skits in Tiv, to YouTube channels teaching Hausa proverbs, to content creators in Ibadan providing the Yoruba version of nursery rhymes and lullabies, young Nigerians are repackaging their languages for the digital age. When people see their peers use language creatively, they want to join in.
As Nigeria races toward modernization, the battle to keep its native languages alive may define whether future generations inherit mere words, or an entire worldview. However, the fight continues — one story, one song, one word at a time.
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