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Minority Languages May Soon Go Into Extinction, Don Expresses Fear

Published

3 years ago

April 17, 2023

The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics) at the University of Jos, Prof. Rahila Gowon on Monday raised fears that minority languages in Nigeria may soon go into extinction because they do not have autography.

According to her, such was also the reason why the implementation of the National Language Policy of the Federal Government has been complex.

Gowon stated these in an interview with journalists after declaring open the first international conference on language and literature with the theme, “Language Communication and Literature in an Uncertain and turbulent world,” organised by the Department of English, UNIJOS, where she represented the institution’s Vice Chancellor, Prof. Tanko Ishaya.

At the event, the Head, Department of English in UNIJOS, Prof. Jeff Doki said the conference was important because language and communication could be used to end conflicts.

He said the international conference, the first of its kind in UNIJOS, brought together over 300 scholars from different disciplines, especially from the academia, language and literature, to chart a new future for the study of English, Literature and Communication Studies, “which are the key to development and progress.”

Gowon said, “I remember when I was an undergraduate, we were taught to write lesson notes in our languages and teach even in Biology and other subjects areas. Yes, for the minority languages, they’re likely to go extinct but not for the majority languages. Already the major languages have autographs.

“They are being enforced in the school system as major subjects. They may not go extinct but minor languages are likely to go. But it is left for parents to teach their children at home because they are the first teachers.”

To check the threat of languages going into extinction, Gowon said the National Language Policy should address it but however agreed that people do not adhere to it.

The DVC said, “The National Language Policy stipulates that the medium of instruction in the junior primary school is the mother tongue or language of the immediate community. However, we find out that there are so many languages that are in use. But people prefer to go straight to English because they do not want to or don’t know which one they should take as their language of instruction.

“Of course, there are some major languages like Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, Efik and maybe Tiv that use the mother tongue. But in Plateau State, it’s been very difficult.

“Secondly, implementing this has been very difficult because many languages do not have autography. But these are being developed and they are being encouraged.”

The chairman, Local Organising Committee of the conference, Prof. Jerome Dooga, in his presentation titled, “Navigating the communication minefield in a turbulent and uncertain world,” said language had never been neutral.

He said, “Making sense of the increasingly complex communication minefield requires an amalgam of interdisciplinary perspectives and approaches.

“Language has never been neutral. But in today’s world linguistic communication has become especially contentious as humans promote novel and sometimes strange ideologies.

“Our world is a linguistic and communication minefield. Peaceful human co-existence has become increasingly challenging by the day.”

PUNCH

News

N200b Agric Credit Dispute: Appeal Court Slams NAIC, Upholds First Bank Victory

Published

2 hours ago

November 29, 2025

Editor

The Court of Appeal, Abuja, has dismissed the appeal filed by the Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation (NAIC) against First Bank of Nigeria in the long-running dispute over the disbursement of the Federal Government’s N200 billion Commercial Agriculture Credit Scheme.

The decision was one of seven precedent-setting judgments delivered in six hours on Friday by Justice Okon Abang, underscoring his reputation as a hardworking, firm, and uncompromisingly principled jurist whose rulings continue to shape Nigeria’s legal landscape across criminal, human rights, banking, and civil litigation.

In 2013, the NAIC dragged First Bank before the Federal High Court via originating summons, alleging that the bank failed to deduct the mandatory 2.5 per cent premium under the agriculture credit scheme. First Bank promptly filed a counter-affidavit and written address, with both sides joining issues and exchanging further processes over the years.

But when the case was ripe for hearing, NAIC sought to suddenly withdraw its suit—claiming an unnamed Bankers’ Committee representative had approached it for an out-of-court settlement.

First Bank objected, insisting that once pleadings had been exchanged, withdrawal without consent should lead to dismissal, not a mere striking out. To strike out, the bank argued, would allow NAIC a second bite at the cherry—an abuse of process.

The Federal High Court agreed and dismissed the suit, prompting NAIC to head to the Court of Appeal.

Delivering the unanimous judgment of the Court of Appeal, Justice Abang held that NAIC’s appeal was “grossly misconceived” and that, having seen the bank’s defence, NAIC attempted to retreat and re-strategise, “only being smart, believing that it could cunningly manipulate judicial proceedings to save a suit that appears weak and manifestly unsupported.”

He stressed that, once a defendant’s counter-affidavit has been served, any withdrawal by the claimant must naturally lead to dismissal, not striking out, to avoid overreaching the respondent.

Justice Abang agreed with the trial court that, “Since issues have been joined and the matter has previously been adjourned on several occasions, the proper order to make on the application of the plaintiff is to dismiss the suit.”

The Court of Appeal also questioned NAIC’s reliance on an alleged intervention by the Bankers’ Committee—a non-party that had earlier resisted being joined in the matter.

The appellate court concluded that NAIC, having sighted the bank’s counter-affidavit, simply lost confidence in its case and sought a “soft landing” to refile later.

News

Nigeria Records One Of Africa’s Widest Gaps In Policy Reputation Index

Published

2 hours ago

November 29, 2025

Editor

Nigeria has been identified as one of the African nations suffering the largest disconnect between policy delivery and citizen trust, a finding described as the “defining governance crisis” across the continent, according to the inaugural RPI African Policy Index 2025 released by Reputation Poll International (RPI).

The comprehensive Index, which evaluates governance and policy performance across all 54 African countries, places Nigeria in the middle tier of “Strugglers” with an overall score of 52.3. This category reflects nations that achieve partial policy results but fail to earn public confidence.

Drawing from hard data on policy implementation and perception surveys involving over 25,000 Africans, the report shows that Nigeria records one of the continent’s widest Trust Gaps, sometimes exceeding 25 points between objective performance and citizen confidence.

The report flags Nigeria alongside South Africa, Angola, Egypt, and Zimbabwe as countries with the most severe mismatches.

In Nigeria, anti-corruption laws and other initiatives score reasonably well on paper but fail to inspire public trust due to perceived elite impunity and inconsistent enforcement.

Similar patterns exist across these nations, where oil wealth, infrastructure spending, and progressive legislation do not convince ordinary citizens that governments genuinely serve their interests. This trust deficit is highlighted as Africa’s core governance challenge.

The Index emphasises that without deliberate measures to close the gap—through transparent data, citizen audits, and visible accountability—policy ambitions alone cannot produce stable or legitimate outcomes.

By contrast, a small group of nations scoring above 70 demonstrate that world-class governance is achievable when delivery is matched by citizen belief.

Mauritius leads with 78.9, followed by Seychelles at 76.4, Cabo Verde at 74.8, and Botswana at 73.2. These countries excel because strong economic management, high vaccination rates, transparent institutions, and consistent progress in education and digital reforms are reinforced by equally high public trust.

Botswana and Mauritius succeed not because they are wealthy, but because they systematically include citizens in monitoring and feedback, narrowing the trust deficit to near zero.

Over half of Africa, however, remains far from this standard. The Strugglers tier (50–69.9) encompasses 30 countries, while 18 “Systemic Challengers” score below 50, from Sierra Leone at 49.2 to South Sudan at 28.4.

In these countries, structural breakdowns, chronic insecurity, and collapsed legitimacy produce average Trust Gaps of 35 points, undermining even modest policy efforts amid daily experiences of violence and exclusion.

Central Africa records the lowest regional average at 41.2, while Southern Africa dominates the top tier. West, East, and North Africa deliver mixed results.

For Nigerian leadership, the Index sends a clear message: policy formulation alone is no longer sufficient. As the country grapples with debt, youth unemployment, and climate pressures, bridging the Trust Gap through better communication, transparency, and inclusive monitoring has become essential to achieve sustained development and restore public confidence.

The RPI African Policy Index 2025 stands as both a warning and a roadmap: unless the trust deficit is addressed, Africa’s governance crisis will only deepen.
(GUARDIAN)