Nigeria’s independence from British colonial rule in 1960 did not eradicate colonial legacies; rather, it entrenched them within key systems such as education. Despite Nigeria’s linguistic diversity, with over 500 languages, English remains the official language, while the national languages play primarily symbolic roles. In urban secondary schools, where linguistic diversity is high, indigenous languages are systematically marginalised and perceived as lacking value. This study examines language policing in an urban Nigerian secondary school, where students face fines, punishment, and social ridicule for speaking their indigenous languages. Even outside the classroom, strict surveillance ensures compliance, forcing students to conform to avoid reprimand from teachers, parents, the school, and their peers—a tetrad of linguistic oppression. This indigenous-led fieldwork, incorporating participant observation, interviews, and participatory methods such as map-making and talk circles, explores how language policies reinforce colonial hierarchies. Parents, teachers, and schools overwhelmingly prioritise English, viewing it as a marker of status, economic survival, and class mobility—often at the expense of indigenous languages. They assume students can be proficient in either English or their local language, but not both, despite being multilingual themselves. Findings indicate that while schools enforce English to meet societal demand, this undermines intergenerational language transmission, particularly for indigenous languages without established orthographies. With over 80% of Nigeria’s languages at risk of extinction, this study highlights the urgent need for educational reforms that recognise multilingual realities and resist linguistic coloniality.

Authors:
Mercy Onyemaechi Martins, University of Bath, United Kingdom

About the Presenter(s)
Mercy Martins is a PhD candidate at the University of Bath. She researches decolonising language practices in Nigerian secondary schools. She focuses on linguistic justice, indigenous methodologies, systemic coloniality, and anti-colonial theory.

See this presentation on the full schedule – Friday Schedule

Bookmark