Language And Insecurity: A Case Study Of Hate-speech And It's Effects On Nigerian Societies And Economy

Abstract

The greatest challenge of any multi-ethnic and multi-lingual society/nation is insecurity; insecurity occasioned by suspicion, lack of trust, fear, anger, hatred, and especially, the wrong use of language (hate speech). Many societies/communities in Nigeria had suffered and many still suffer lawless violence and the destruction of lives and properties, leading to retardation of any meaningful socio-economic development among the communities/societies and the country (Nigeria) at large. It is against this backdrop that this paper, adopts the cause and effect theory of behaviorism to explore the causal effects of wrong use of language on the members of the society as regards negative or ill-behaviour(s) that threaten peaceful coexistence, tangible development and sustainable human societies. This paper discovers that, the wrong use of language in any society, perhaps against a person, an ethnicity, a race, a religion, etc, is one of the major causal agents of the devastating level of insecurity in the world, and especially in Nigeria. Little wonder, the retardation in the Nigerian economy. The paper, however, discusses possible solutions to the persistent state of insecurity in Nigeria (and the retarded economy).