Niger has adopted Hausa as a ‘National Language’, but to confuse matters, it has not only left French as an official language but also added English. Although Hausa is spoken by over 90% of Nigeriens, the truth is that Hausa is not yet developed for the teaching of science and technology, even at the elementary level.
More than 30 years since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, only Ukraine has managed to develop a sole official language because almost 50% of the Ukrainian language is Slavic – similar to Russian. The remaining 14 republics of the former Soviet Union still use Russian as the major language of instruction in their higher educational institutions.
You can’t declare a language an official language but fail to use it as a medium of instruction and research in your academic institutions. It takes many years of planning and research to develop an official language, not just because a high percentage of the citizens speak that language.
One would have thought that, having dropped the colonial legacy of France, Niger would also jettison French as an official language. But, to add English, is ridiculous. Why not adopt Russian, the language of their new masters? The members of Niger’s military junta are becoming increasingly confused. Apart from failing to sort out the country’s insecurity problems, the main reason for overthrowing Bazoum, Niger is now not on good terms with its biggest neighbours, Nigeria and Algeria.
If I may add, during the colonial period, the medium of instruction from primary 1-4 in most parts of northern Nigeria was the Hausa language. It was only in Senior Secondary School that English was the medium of instruction and Hausa changed to a subject of study. With various Hausa literature books and the Gaskiya Tafi Kobo’ newspaper, students grew up versed in both written Hausa and the English language. Now, we try to teach in English right from kindergarten, and our children grow up without grasping either written Hausa or English. Hausa newspapers and literature books are no longer widely available, thus losing our mother tongue as a foundation of our education. With all the efforts made in the teaching of Hausa language in Nigeria, if we want Hausa to become the official language of say, some of the Northern States, we should start planning many years.
Despite this, Nigerian Hausa-speaking people probably have more to be proud of. In Nigeria, over 50% of Hausas are more fluent in Hausa language than their Nigerien counterparts, who can’t speak the language without mixing it with French, as a sign of their French cultural assimilation. That’s to say, Hausa language is far more developed in the Hausa-speaking areas of Nigeria than in the Hausa-speaking areas of Niger.
Domestic politics will make it extremely difficult to pick a sole official language in Nigeria. Maybe to start with, parliamentary proceedings should be allowed in our local languages, like it’s the case in South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, etc. Recall the case of Hon. Gudaji Kazaure, who grappled with the problem of expressing himself fluently in English. Although he had the sympathy of other members of the House, still he couldn’t be allowed to speak in his mother tongue, Hausa, because the rules didn’t allow for proceedings in local languages. His incapacity to express himself in English made him look like a clown in the House.
Ambassador Ibrahim is the former Nigerian Ambassador to Libya
