Language Policy in Nigeria

In this chapter, we outline the history of language policy in Nigeria. The chapter takes a closer look at how the colonial masters devalued Nigerian indigenous languages and favored their language, English. It also emphasizes the fact that in the past there was no proper language policy for the country; what existed were fragments of the various documents that mentioned aspects of policy for the country. These documents include the Nigerian Constitution, the Cultural Policy for Nigeria, the National Policy on Education, and the National Broadcasting Commission Codes. Despite the availability of these documents, it was clear that the various organs of government only paid lip service to their implementation. This chapter further discusses the contents of Nigeria’s Language Policy which was newly released in May 2023. The document articulates, extensively, the language policy for Nigeria which is expected to chart the course for the regulation, use and development of all the languages spoken in Nigeria. Scholars and citizens are of the opinion that up till now the country has been deprived of monumental development due to the absence of a language policy. The document affirms that all Nigerian languages are of equal status. It also seeks to embolden all Nigerian languages through innovative, contemporary transformational processes that enable the users to retain their cultural identity while expressing their creative and innovative capabilities for making contributions to national and global knowledge resources. We are hopeful that Nigeria’s new administration will exhaustively implement all the recommendations of the policy.