[lg policy] Letter from Africa: Why Nigeria needs multi-lingual soldiers

Thu Dec 7 19:56:43 UTC 2017

Letter from Africa: Why Nigeria needs multi-lingual soldiers

   - 6 December 2017

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Image copyright AFP

In our series of letters from African journalists, the editor-in-chief of
Nigeria's Daily Trust newspaper, Mannir Dan Ali, says instead of shouting
to be heard, Nigerian soldiers have been told to learn more languages.

The new regulation came in characteristic military fashion, giving soldiers
a window of one year to learn to speak Nigeria's three main languages.

It did not specify whether those unable to do so by November 2018 would
lose their jobs.

The languages in question - Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba - represent the three
dominant communities in the country, but that still leaves out a large
number of Nigerians from the country's several hundred other ethnic groups.

Army spokesman Brigadier General Sani Usman Kukasheka has since clarified
that soldiers need only learn the basics, but those with a certified level
of proficiency will get bonuses.
Mannir Dan Ali: Image copyright AFP

*"Most Nigerians keep their distance from soldiers, who are mostly heavy
handed and unfriendly to those they refer to derogatorily as 'bloody
civilians'"*

He explained that the idea was to help soldiers to carry out their duties
more effectively and earn the trust of the communities in which they were
deployed.

If the initiative succeeds, Nigerians will be in for a shock when they hear
greetings - such as "sannu" in Hausa, "ekason" in Yoruba or "kedu" in Igbo
- from those in military fatigues.

Most Nigerians keep their distance from soldiers, who are mostly heavy
handed and unfriendly to those they refer to derogatorily as "bloody
civilians".
Unifying force

Nonetheless, the Nigerian military is seen as one of the most nationalistic
and unifying institutions in the country - with many of its personnel in
cross-cultural marriages because of their postings.
Image copyright AFP Image caption Critics feel more emphasis needs to be
put on training and tactics rather than language learning

A soldier will have served in all parts of Nigeria - Africa's most populous
country - during the course of his or her career.

For those with a gift <http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-42239130#> for
languages, it is an opportunity to learn in the areas they are deployed or
from colleagues from other regions.

English is the formal language of the military and government - and even
with the new requirement, will remain the official language.

But in the years after independence in 1960, there were more northerners at
junior levels of the army, meaning that Hausa, the lingua franca of the
north, was often used to aid communication between the lower ranks and
officers.

Pidgin English <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-38000387> is also
commonly used among soldiers from different areas especially in the famous
"mammy markets" in barracks, where the soldiers go to unwind away from the
drudgery of parade grounds or operation zones.
Language of Boko Haram?

The new language policy appears to stem from the challenges the military is
currently encountering as it continues to be called upon to assist the
police in handling law-and-order situations.

Soldiers are deployed in more than 30 of Nigeria's 36 states in one
internal security operation or another.

The military's crackdown on Islamist insurgents in the north-east has
brought with it new challenges - mainly those of non-conventional warfare
but linguistic too.

However, Kanuri - the dominant language of Boko Haram militants - is not
among the languages soldiers are now required to learn.

This is despite the eight-year insurgency, in which some 20,000 people have
been killed, being far from over.

Likewise, Ijaw - widely spoken in the restive oil-producing Niger Delta
area of southern Nigeria - is not compulsory.

The Delta militant groups, who say they are fighting for a greater share of
the resources for local communities, still occasionally attack pipelines
and are behind numerous kidnappings for ransom.
Image copyright AFP Image caption Militants in the Niger Delta generally
speak Ijaw, not one of the three compulsory languages

Critics of the new measure also say that it may be counter-productive to
lay emphasis on learning more languages when the army should focus more on
training, strategy and tactics to actually contain these problems.

They suggest that a few talented translators may do a better job during
interrogations and intelligence-gathering - instead of every soldier with a
gun.

Nigeria's lower house of parliament - the house of representatives - has
already stepped into the matter.

It has asked the army chief to stop the implementation of the new policy,
saying it is discriminatory and harmful to the cohesion
<http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-42239130#> of the army.

The MPs said that as Nigeria is home to about 400 languages, compelling
speakers of other languages to learn the three major ones would be unfair -
and gave some an undue advantage.

This controversy may prompt the army to mind what innovations it implements
in future as tries to grapple with the challenge of supporting the police
to keep everyone safe in the country.

But as it stands, the military chief is unlikely to be saying sorry for
this policy - in any language.

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 Harold F. Schiffman

Professor Emeritus of
 Dravidian Linguistics and Culture
Dept. of South Asia Studies
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305

Phone:  (215) 898-7475
Fax:  (215) 573-2138

Email:  haroldfs at gmail.com
http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/

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