<div dir="ltr"><h1 class="gmail-after-category gmail-single-article-title gmail-flex-item">The Army language policy</h1>
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By <strong>Editorial Board</strong>
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21 December 2017 |
4:01 am </div>
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<div id="gmail-attachment_223174" class="gmail-wp-caption gmail-alignnone"><img src="https://guardian.ng/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Chief-of-Army-Staff-Buratai.jpg" alt="" class="gmail-size-full gmail-wp-image-223174 gmail-lazyload" style="display: inline;" width="1280" height="720"><p class="gmail-wp-caption-text">Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai</p></div>Although
in principle there may be some merit in the new local language policy
recently proposed by the Nigerian Army, the idea of the army compelling
all its personnel to be proficient in the three languages of Hausa, Igbo
and Yoruba by December 2018 is largely contentious. It is also
discriminatory, unrealistic and unlikely to be effective.
<p>According to reports, the new local language policy was a directive
from the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Col. Tukur Buratai, aimed at promoting
national integration and thereby foster peace and unity in the country.</p>
<p>No doubt, the idea of learning and becoming proficient in indigenous
languages is a laudable one. Amongst other things, proficiency in the
language of the community in which one works is a veritable instrument
of mutually beneficial human relations. It creates a sense of
belongingness and affinity. A better understanding and appreciation of
the people and their culture is enhanced, whilst seemingly intractable
problems are easily addressed.</p>
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<p>Moreover, the Nigerian armed forces, especially the army, are reputed
to be one institution that promotes national integration by the way
military personnel are posted all over the country. By such deliberate
administrative policy, it is not unusual for a military officer who has
served for about a decade to be fluent in the languages of places he has
worked. This is highly commendable and should be encouraged.</p>
<p>Notwithstanding, that three languages only, amongst the multiplicity
of languages spoken all over the country, have been selected for the
implementation of the policy, is ad hoc and biased. Furthermore, the
idea that these languages are viewed as major languages is unfair. </p>
<p>For whom are they major languages? As one legislator argued, this
policy may ìlead to discrimination and exclusion from employment
opportunities, promotion and ambush of the legitimate aspirations of
overwhelming numbers of non-native speakers of Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa in
the Army.î</p>
<p>Apart from being a subtle linguistic domination of minority
ethno-linguistic groups by the hegemony of the three dominant languages,
it is a tough demand to subject the army personnel to begin proficiency
crash programmes in Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo within so short a time.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, in support of the directive of the Chief of Army Staff,
some informed commentaries have praised the proposal for its timeliness,
arguing that it is a demonstration of the army’s resolve to ensure
internal security and national unity. </p></article></div></div>
<p>Granted that the use of indigenous language in public affairs is long
overdue, the argument that the directive to learn Hausa, Yoruba and
Igbo, ipso facto, demonstrates the army’s passion internal security and
national unity, is a very spurious argument. </p>
<p>It is spurious because there is no connection between the furtherance
of internal security or national unity and proficiency in three
languages. How can it be demonstrated that internal security and
national unity in multilingual Nigeria could be promoted by proficiency
in three languages?</p>
<p>It is also unfortunate that the Nigerian Army, an institution of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria, is being used to pioneer this ambiguous
proposal. Should this proposal scale through, it is very likely that
such requirement would be demanded from other workers in federal
institutions.</p>
<p>Since language mirrors the identity of a people and also expresses
their experiences of the world, it is that peculiar activity by which
people make sense of their existence and the world around them. In other
words, a Yoruba man cannot compel an Ijaw lady to understand her
existence from a worldview expressed in the Yoruba language. To do that
is to re-create her existence for her. Thus it becomes an infringement
of the rights of people whose languages are construed as minority
languages to impose a policy that marginalises other language under the
guise of expediency. There is no sense in speaking of ìmajor languagesî
in a country of about 400 languages.</p>
<p>It is for this reason that this paper stands with the position of
members of the House of Representatives in kicking against the policy.
It should be discontinued. </p>
<p>Howbeit, cognizant of the fact that proficiency in our indigenous
languages is relevant to social cohesion, the authorities concerned
should begin to put modalities in place for effective socialisation
mechanism through the use of indigenous languages. </p>
<p>An effective way of getting through this would be by encouraging the
speaking of our mother tongues in both private and public events. </p>
Besides, the ministry of education should step up modalities to promote the teaching subjects of indigenous language in schools.<br clear="all"><br>-- <br><div class="gmail_signature">=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+<br><br> Harold F. Schiffman<br><br>Professor Emeritus of <br> Dravidian Linguistics and Culture <br>Dept. of South Asia Studies <br>University of Pennsylvania<br>Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305<br><br>Phone: (215) 898-7475<br>Fax: (215) 573-2138 <br><br>Email: <a href="mailto:haroldfs@gmail.com" target="_blank">haroldfs@gmail.com</a><br><a href="http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/" target="_blank">http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/</a> <br><br>-------------------------------------------------</div>
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