By Mary Agidi

A recent trend among young Nigerian parents on social media, where they post short videos of their children being asked to express themselves in indigenous languages, has revealed a deeper problem: the decline in the acquisition of indigenous languages among upcoming generations.

The responses of these children, most of whom are under ten years old, highlight the gradual erosion of major Nigerian languages. Many of them struggle to respond to questions asked in indigenous languages, let alone dialects.

While some parents—many of whom are content creators using these videos to attract traffic—may see it as mere fun, the reality is that raising younger generations to embrace foreign languages while neglecting their mother tongues is causing significant harm. This situation calls for urgent attention if Nigerian languages are not to go extinct.

Nigeria, a multi-ethnic country, has over 500 native languages. While Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba are the major ones, hundreds of dialects exist under these languages, distinguishing individual communities. Sadly, these dialects are beginning to erode among descendants due to migration, education, and intermarriage, without deliberate efforts to pass the knowledge on to younger generations.

It is understandable if a child is born to parents from different ethnic groups or language-speaking villages, as this may hinder the possibility of passing down their local dialect. However, it is disappointing when both parents come from the same community but still fail to instill the knowledge of their dialect in their children.

Take, for example, the case of Mrs. Jadesola Adegbite, a 46-year-old woman from Owo Local Government Area of Ondo State. Despite both parents hailing from the same community, she cannot communicate fluently in the dialect. According to her, her father, a teacher, forbade them from speaking Yoruba at home, let alone the Owo dialect, insisting they spoke only English. Her case reflects a wider problem fueling the gradual extinction of indigenous languages in Nigeria.

Undoubtedly, colonisation and the subsequent adoption of English as Nigeria’s official language and the language of instruction in schools have contributed to the loss of dignity and prestige once attached to indigenous languages. If care is not taken, many of these languages may soon become extinct.


Stakeholders’ Insights on Sustaining Indigenous Languages

Among respondents interviewed by The Hope—75% of whom were Yoruba descendants, aged 15 and above—91% said both parents were from the same language-speaking region.

However, only 43% reported speaking their indigenous languages at social gatherings, while 45% used English and 10% pidgin.

The respondents included 62.2% male and 37.8% female, with 54.1% holding postgraduate degrees, 40.5% tertiary education, and 5.4% secondary school certificates. Of these, 89.2% believed indigenous languages are crucial to Nigeria’s cultural identity, while 86.5% were aware that some languages are at risk of extinction.



Causes of Decline in Indigenous Languages

Out of the listed reasons for the decline: 54.1% blamed the influence of English, 32.4% pointed to inter-ethnic marriage, 40.5% cited urbanisation and migration, 56.8% identified the lack of teaching indigenous languages in schools, and 67.6% blamed parents for not passing down dialects.

Additionally, 35.1% blamed the dominance of English in media and technology, 37.8% cited a perceived lack of prestige in speaking native languages, while 2.7% blamed the multiplicity of languages in Nigeria.

Notably, 64.9% agreed that modern parents do not encourage their children to learn and speak indigenous languages.



Local Scholars’ Discoveries

According to research by Mrs. Oluwasore Ayoade on the role of radio stations in Abuja in the endangerment of indigenous languages, only four out of ten selected stations had programmes in indigenous languages, with very limited airtime. The study revealed that the dominance of English in broadcasting contributes significantly to the decline of Nigerian languages. Linguistic diversity was also identified as a barrier to preservation.

Similarly, in an inaugural lecture recently delivered at Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Ondo State, Professor Temitope Olumuyiwa, a scholar of Yoruba Language and Dialectology, lamented the endangerment of Yoruba language. He blamed the government’s failure to implement the National Policy on Education, alongside the negative attitudes of Yoruba people who stigmatise their own language.

He noted that the derogatory labelling of Yoruba as “vernacular” in schools, conflicting linguistic theories, and the attitudes of some teachers towards Yoruba students have worsened the decline.

His words: “It is unfortunate that younger generations are drifting away from the Yoruba language in preference for foreign tongues. Parents abhor speaking their dialects and discourage their children from doing so, not realising that their culture is gradually going into extinction.”

Prof. Olumuyiwa also identified waning interest among publishers in producing Yoruba books—a situation also affecting other Nigerian languages. Unlike decades ago, when there were abundant reading materials in local languages right from primary school level, such books are now rare in schools.


Government and Individual Roles in Preservation

On what government can do to prevent extinction, 54% of respondents suggested curriculum development in schools to prioritise the language of immediate environments; 21.6% supported funding cultural and language programmes; 16% advocated policy making and laws to recognise indigenous languages in official gatherings; and 8% recommended media promotion.

Other suggestions include sensitisation programmes, effective implementation of the National Language Policy, and teaching difficult subjects such as mathematics in indigenous languages. State Houses of Assembly were also advised to conduct proceedings in local languages at least twice a week.

Government policies should support documentation, translation, and digital preservation of dialects.
Individuals, on the other hand, must take pride in their languages, reject the derogatory tag of “vernacular,” and encourage teachers to adopt a positive attitude.

There is also a call for more research into creating indigenous names for new inventions.

Above all, as one respondent stated: “Everything depends on parents, because they are the foundation. Regular engagement of children in speaking the language at home is vital.”

Prof. Olumuyiwa echoed this view, stressing that parents must take responsibility by teaching and speaking indigenous languages to their children.

Encouragingly, 97% of respondents expressed readiness to support initiatives that promote indigenous languages, including speaking them at home, writing in them, and using them on social media. If fulfilled, this commitment can significantly aid the transfer of indigenous languages from one generation to another.

First published in The Hope Newspaper edition of 22nd Sept., 2025