OWIJOPPA Volume 9 Number 3 2025

NIGERIA LANGUAGE POLICIES AND THE PROBLEM OF IMPLEMENTATION

Magnus A. Aniago ThankGod Ikenegbu
Abstract

People have wondered whether language policies exist in Nigeria considering the way the indigenous languages have been downplayed. Nigeria has been battling with the implementation of her language policies. Different regimes put up varying policies to reap the best out of language. Unfortunately, these have not yielded the desired results. This work tries to examine the cause or causes of this anomaly and suggest some ways out of the canker. The researchers used primary and secondary sources for data collection. The primary source was through personal intuition and experience, while the secondary source was through books, journals and online materials. The researchers discovered that certain factors militate against successful implementation of Nigerian language policies. These factors included dearth of Nigerian language teachers, lack of adequate information, and government ineptitude among others. The researchers suggest that teachers of Nigerian indigenous languages be motivated for higher performance and that government pay more active role in information management. The service conditions should be made more attractive so that more individuals would venture into it. Parents are also encouraged to speak their native languages to their children especially at home. 

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