The Nigerian army has ordered its
personnel to learn the three basic Nigerian languages of Igbo, Hausa and
Yoruba.
In a statement on Wednesday, Sani
Usman, a brigadier-general and army spokesman, said the directive is part of
the army’s new language policy aimed at fostering better communication with the
populace.
He said the army personnel are
expected to have attained basic level standard of proficiency for the languages
on or before December 2018, adding that certificated proficiency level will
attract language allowance.
“The policy will foster
espirit-de-corps and better communication with the populace to enhance
information gathering, civil-military relations, increase understanding between
militaries when operating abroad and assist officers and soldiers to perform
their duties professionally,” the statement read.
“It is to be noted that English
remains the official language in the Nigerian army. Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa
languages could be used during civil military cooperation (CIMIC) activities or
interrogation.
“Therefore all Nigerian Army
personnel have been given one year to learn the three major Nigerian languages.
Invariably, by December 2018, all Nigerian army personnel are expected to learn
the three major Nigerian languages.”
Usman further said the ability to
speak the three major Nigerian languages will be an added advantage to those
applying for recruitment or commissioning into the Nigerian army.
He added: “Therefore, prospective
candidates are encouraged to learn Nigerian languages other than their mother
tongues.
“Before now, the Nigerian army
officially encouraged the learning of French, Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese and
Swahili. French language is an assessed subject in some career courses and
examinations for Nigerian army personnel.”
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