Media reports making the rounds show that a federal University named Bola Ahmed Tinubu Federal University of language development is in the offing in Nigeria. The bill to this effect was sponsored by the Deputy Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Kalu. It passed through the first reading on the 10th of October, 2024. According to the bill, the university shall be focused on the development of over 500 languages spoken in the country. If finally passed into law, the bill will be establishing another tertiary institute dedicated to the study of Nigerian languages. The first one, National Institute for Nigerian Languages was established many years ago in Abia state. With Professor Obiajulu Emejulu as the Executive Director.
There is nothing wrong in establishing schools such as the one being proposed by the federal government. First of all, it will add to efforts made towards ensuring that many languages in the country do not go into extinction with the traditions of the people. Secondly, it will put paid to the erroneous impression in the minds of young Nigerians that there are only three languages and tribes in Nigeria, namely Yoruba, Ibo and Hausa. The minority tribes are often ignored in the management of the nation’s resources as well as in the sharing of political office leadership positions.
Even some bigger tribes have cultivated the habit of annexing their smaller tribal neigbours with claims that they speak similar dialects. None of these big tribes have been able to reconcile their claims with the fact that the Americans who bear English names, speak and write the language are not regarded to by Britain as their societal members.
They are just Americans with their own style of the English language. So, given the recognitions likely to be accorded all languages spoken in the country, the intimidation of the minority tribes by the major ones based on communication forms will be drastically reduced.
Though, there are folks who share the view that establishing additional university in the country is not necessary, such argument do not sound credible. They only base their arguments on the fact that the nation has not been able to provide employment for the teeming number of graduates produced by the existing universities. This pattern of reasoning can only lead to intellectual frustration. Education goes beyond the provision of white collar jobs.
Rather, it goes a long way into bringing development to given societies with sound reasoning mentality and deployment of skills towards achieving given purposes in life. In the words of Martin Luther King, Jr.; “The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education”.
Despite the need for this university, the timing of its establishment is very wrong. It is coming at a time when Nigerians are facing acute food shortages, economic hardship and escalating insecurity challenges.
Language studies do not necessarily have to be undertaken by mono institutions. The existing tertiary schools can be encouraged to pick the languages spoken in their immediate catchment areas for studies by them within established faculties of languages and linguistics or under established new faculties of same.
The cost of establishing new schools is high. Such monies can be deployed towards ensuring that university lecturers are properly remunerated and granted funds for researches. The already created students’ loan scheme should be expanded to allow more students to benefit from it. Additionally, governments across boards owe the citizens a duty to provide bursary awards for students to augment whatever sponsorship they receive from parents and guardians.
On the whole, the federal government should back down on the establishment of any specialised tertiary school at this trying time of the nation. The National Assembly should put hold on the bill and encourage the president to immediately begin to put plocies that would restore the lost glory of the nation’s educational system. Nigeria will regain much of her monies lost to educational pursuits abroad if citizens are inspired to study their chosen courses in the country.
