The English Language In Nigeria

It is incumbent on every responsible government to provide the basic necessities of life to its citizenry. The provision of basic social amenities such as quality education, health care, portable water and good road network culminates in the growth and development of the individual and the nation in general. Development in closely tied to language since it is through it that the developmental policies of government are articulated and executed. In a multilingual and divergent ethnic society like obtainable in Nigeria, none of the numerous indigenous languages can serve this purpose. Given this multilingual and multicultural scenario, the only neutral language that can foster her even development is the English language, which is the lingua

This makes the country indisputably a multilingual nation. In the midst of the multitude of languages, the English language is the most widely used. The language became implanted in Nigeria as a consequence of factors like trading, missionary activities and colonization. The English language functions as a language of wider communication in the country with its diverse cultural and linguistic group. Indeed, the existence of Nigeria as an entity is deeply rooted in the language because it is the cultural, political and linguistic bridge for all the geo-political zones of the country (Emenajo, 1990). Bamgbose (1971) on the importance of the English language in Nigeria states that:

Of all the heritages left behind by the British at the end of the colonial administration, probably, none is more important than the English language. It is now the language of government, business, commerce, education, the mass media, literature and much internal and external

This has informed many of the reform programmes in education by successive government in the country. Education is a crucial factor for development in any society and the principle means by acquiring it in Nigeria is the English language. The development of any nation is highly dependent on the quality of its educational system. Nigeria’s educational system is operational through the English language as it is the language of instruction, evaluation and examination in our schools from the pre-primary to the tertiary level. Nigerians from different language groups meet at various levels in different educational institutions for the purpose of teaching and learning under the guidance of teachers whose second language is often the English. No country can develop beyond its educational system and its teachers. Thus, Nigerians from divergent ethnic group are integrated through the English language and contribute positively towards the development of the country in various sectors of the economy. Adebisi (1984) subscribes that national unity and subsequent development can be achieved through recourse to the utilization of the language. He advocates that the English language should be assigned development-oriented role within the educational programme of the