Language as a Change Agent and a Tool for Tackling Insecurity in Nigeria

Abstract

The level of insecurity in Nigeria has risen to an unprecedented height in recent times. The spateof killings in different parts of the country, banditry attacks on lives and properties, herdsmenand farmers’ clashes, high rate of kidnapping, Boko-Haram insurgency and more recently,unknown gun men (UGM) attacks; are all indices of insecurity in Nigeria. People live in fear anduncertainty as no one knows who the next victim will be. The Nigeria society has become sochaotic that something urgent needs to be done to allay people’s fear and calm the situation. Thispaper looks at how language can be used as a change agent to bring about restoration and peacein Nigeria. Language is a vital means of human communication. Through its ideologies,identities, feelings are shared. It is the pivot around which every human activity revolves.Language has the capacity to spark off conflict and chaos; it also has the capacity to calm ordouse a raging storm depending on how it is used. This paper advocates appropriate language useby all people in all quarters. Excerpts of speeches from political office holders that areconsidered inciting are cited and analyzed in this paper. People have to be conscious of linguisticchoices they make and ensure that they are used in appropriate contexts to avoid violentreactions that can lead to insecurity in the country. Communicative Competence andCommunication Accommodation theories form the theoretical stand point for this paper. Thepaper reiterates that proper use of language will usher in the needed change: the restoration ofpeace and security in Nigeria.