MULTILINGUALISM AND INSECURITY IN NIGERIA

Abstract

The exponential increase of insecurity in Nigeria is a matter of utmost concern. Its hike poses a big threat not only to the law enforcement agencies but also to the law itself. Its menace cuts across almost all the Nigerian states. The country is known for some well trained terrorist groups like Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP), Boko Haram, and other numerous terrorist groups. Replete of multilingualism, Nigeria faces the issue of eradicating insecurity amidst diverse ethno-linguistic heritage. The activities of the Islamic sect (Boko Haram), Fulani Herdsmen menace, banditry and kidnapping, militancy in the South, incidence of secessionlist activities in the South East hijacked by hoodlums known as Unknown Gunmen etc, and which have led to the loss of countless lives and property in the country buttress this claim. The paper examines the incidence of insecurity in Nigeria, a multilingual state par excellence. It argues that since language and society have bidirectional influence, the existence of many languages in Nigeria can help one gain insight into the root causes of and solutions to insecurity in a multilingual nation-state. The study highlights how multilingualism has negatively affected the security state of Nigeria, stating that it has not only succeeded in dividing Nigerians and weakening the central unity, but it has also reduced the effectiveness of the individual security functionality through the limitations arising from lack of understanding among security activities. The findings revealed that the causes of insecurity in Nigeria range from de-emphasis of the multilingual nature of Nigeria, ethno-religious difference, illiteracy and poor educational system, bad governance, weak judicial system, weak and ethnicised security apparatus, high level of unemployment and poverty, porous borders, marginalization and inequality in the country. The solution posed consists of opposing the aforementioned causes of insecurity in the paper. Data for this study were collected from existing body of literature and verified news published on some media platforms like Aljazeera’s documentaries, and analyzed using the Socio-linguistic Theory of language policy and language planning.