Deep Sight:

This is still beside the point. Why is only one tribe given this privilege, period.

Inasmuch as the said inscription facilitates the participation, in various economic activities which require currencies, of millions of people who otherwise have difficulties because they cannot read except in Ajami, one should not have a problem with this.

we also have the option to start trading by barter if the money does not satisfy us. so those who have a problem with the currency, hand them over to me.

c.fours:


it's best I keep my stupidity to myself then.

I never knew you are aware that you are stu.pid thank God you realised that at last

tomakint:
I wet my bed at night

eyaa... i'm sorry

Reflections on Arabic inscriptions on Nigeria's Currency

By

Dr. Nowa Omoigui

nowa_o@yahoo.com

The only reason an Arabic inscription is, in combination with English, on Nigeria's currency today is the influence of history

It has been so from the very first time paper currency was printed for Nigerian use (either for British or indigenous Traders). Before the Nigerian pound (replaced in 1973 by Naira and Kobo), the old West African Currency Board (WACB) pound (also known as West African Pound (WAP)) was in use, first from 1913 in restricted distribution, and then more generally from 1946 until 1959 in Nigeria, 1957 in Ghana, 1965 in Gambia and 1964 in Sierra Leone. Liberia also used the currency until 1943 when it changed to the U.S. dollar. British Southern Cameroon used it too, until the plebiscite of 1961.

The WAP - from which the post-independence currencies of Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone and Gambia were derived - also had Arabic inscriptions on it.

The original reason for Arabic was that Frederick Lugard (who was the first Commander of the West African Frontier Force (1897 - 99) and later the first High Commissioner of Northern Nigeria (1899 - 1906); and later the Governor of the protectorates of Northern and Southern Nigeria (1912 - 1914); and finally the first Governor General of post-amalgamation Nigeria (1914 - 1919 ); identified Arabic the only written "indigenous" language anywhere in Nigeria/West Africa, particularly among the widely spread Hausa trader class across the region. (See Lugard report to Parliament, 1919) Arabic inscriptions were, therefore, used as symbols, not only for currency but even on official West African Frontier Force badges etc... which persist until today in Nigerian Army badges etc...

In the mind of the British colonial administrators in Nigeria - whose administrative experience was heavily influenced by their military service in Northern Nigeria and other parts of the sahel belt of West Africa - rightly or wrongly, Arabic writing was to West Africa as Latin was to Europe. In addition to English, therefore, they used Arabic to domesticate British instruments meant for local use. The fact that such symbols still exist is one of many scars of the era of colonial rule. However, not all former British West African colonies still use Arabic translations on their currencies as a footnote to history. Nigeria and Gambia do. Ghana and Sierra Leone do not:

In the West African Francophone colonies, where the local Franc (CFA) was adopted, the French policy of association and assimilation persisted, and the language used was exclusively French. No outlet was allowed for any indigenous written language.

In summary, the persistence of Arabic writing in some Nigerian State instruments to this day is the legacy of one man - Lord FD Lugard - "our" first Governor General.

By the way, coincidentally, the word "Naira" means "big eyes" in the Andean language of Quechua, where it is used as a name for girls. It is also a Spanish name - Naira o Nayra - for both boys and girls. We were probably not aware of this in 1973 when - in an effort to escape from the "colonial" word "pound" - we adapted the name "Naira" from the word "Nigeria" - which in of by itself was originally suggested by then Flora Shaw (later Lady Flora Lugard) by collapsing the colonial geographical phrase "Niger-Area". "Niger-Area" became "Nigeria" on January 8th, 1897.

Even the word "Niger" is not indigenous. As I have observed elsewhere, the word "Niger" is actually a Greek imposed Latin name, which means "Black" or “very dark brown”. Needless to point out that the word "Area" is English.

Lastly, come to think of it, all I have written on the subject above is in English, which, whether spoken or written, is neither indigenous to my Edo nationality or Nigeria.

It seems we have a crisis of identity in every direction we turn!

Regards

NAO

This is still beside the point. Why is only one tribe given this privilege, period.

it's a privilege of history. it's not a zero-sum game.

positive thinking:
if they have it, why shouldn't I also have the right to have it?

cruel thinking:
if I don't have it, why should they have any right to have it?

the irony is that most of us can't even read and write in our native tongues!! yet we are pissed that an ethnic group that reads and writes almost exclusively in their native tongue shouldn't have a right to feature on the currency.
we can put ours there too but who are we really kidding. most of us can't even count up to 250 in our native tongues. it will just be on the currency for decoration. all because we want to compete with hausas. instead of us to be pitying them that they can't read english.

i want you guys to payclose attention to the attached picture. this is a project awarded and. bankrolled by. Lagos State Govt. Why is chinese on the banner? Our official language is English, not Chinese....so is the Chinese there for people of Lagos who do not understand English but can read Chinese? i mean just wonderig

see link....error corrected!!!

https://www.nairaland.com/1154940/railtrack-construction-commencement-ceremony-lagos-bdgry#13731562

^ what has that got to do with this topic?
Hausas are being compared to Chinese. LOL what won't we see on nairaland.

it has a lot to do with it. do not dismiss the banner. contemplate issue and you will see the connection. the ajami on the naira is a political message and has nothing to do with who in hausaland can or cannot read english. the message is not for hausa.....its for the rest of the country.

the chinese banner is not for the chinese people, its for nigerians.

Which girl is more sexy?
http://www.priceguidenow.com/vintage-fashion-backless-cross-straps-sexy-dress-p-1941.html?utm_source=www.nairaland.com&utm_medium=forum&utm_campaign=amandadgdfg
http://www.priceguidenow.com/one-shoulder-dress-sheath-top-dress-p-1939.html?utm_source=www.nairaland.com&utm_medium=forum&utm_campaign=amandadgdfg http://www.priceguidenow.com/brand-new-style-bohemian-chiffon-maxi-dress-p-1935.html?utm_source=www.nairaland.com&utm_medium=forum&utm_campaign=amandadgdfg

Negro_Ntns: it has a lot to do with it. do not dismiss the banner. contemplate issue and you will see the connection. the ajami on the naira is a political message and has nothing to do with who in hausaland can or cannot read english. the message is not for hausa.....its for the rest of the country.

the chinese banner is not for the chinese people, its for nigerians.

I see no connection whatsoever!!
even if it's a political message or whatever conspiracy you have, it's clearly affecting your ego. You see hausas as distant foreigners and the presence of arabic on the currency reminds you of their existence as a part of the country.
Any nigerian who is well traveled and not a bigot will not see the issue in this.

Hausas are NIGERIANS just as much as you or I.
the comparison with Chinese is absolutely baseless!!!

and going to the banner. my thoughts on the banner is:

China is to Nigeria today what England was to Nigeria in the past.
http://tribune.com.ng/index.php/lead-stories/51066-why-we-introduced-chinese-language-in-lagos-schools-fashola-marks-2000-days-in-office

at least ajami is an indegenous language to the hausa people who have historically rejected imperial/colonial destruction of their traditions. hausas are ok with not having skyscrapers or mr.biggs. they are traditional and shy away from western (and now chinese) influence.
the reason the hausas are "illiterate' today is because they still see english as imperialistic. they are all fully literate in their own language (speaking and writing).

I'm sure when Chinese replaces English as our official language 200 yrs from now, ajami will still be on our currency and we will be having the same debate.
the joke is on you!!
instead of us to embrace our native languages as the hausas embrace theirs. we are here arguing that they shouldn't have a right to their tongue because we have lost ours.

so to answer your question:
China should remind us of Britain. anybody with a brain can see that.

how does a simple discussion on why ajami is on currency become a political fight for you? you do not understand the political undertone in the message.

if the need to know what the currency they are holding is that crucial that it needs to be written in ajami, then it is equally very important that all their transactions and contracts, whether in financial, real estate or marriage be reduced to writing in ajami......but it is not! so if ajami is not that important to the value of the local society up there why is it important on a national banner?

c.fours:
“Our mother tongue, Yoruba language, is not the responsibility that we should pass to the teachers. It is the responsibility of the parents to teach their children the Yoruba language at home.

“We can’t blame the teachers for our children not speaking Yoruba language. We must be honest with ourselves. Other ethnic groups don’t suffer that affliction.

“Now about Chinese language. I think we must continue to think about what our world would be like in the next 20 to 30 years and anybody who is being honest with himself would see clearly that from Britain to the United States, the Chinese are becoming our largest trading partners.”

-Fashola
http://tribune.com.ng/index.php/lead-stories/51066-why-we-introduced-chinese-language-in-lagos-schools-fashola-marks-2000-days-in-office

^does this remind you of anything?

fashola has been wrong on a number of issues...this is one of them.

Negro_Ntns: how does a simple discussion on why ajami is on currency become a political fight for you? you do not understand the political undertone in the message.

if the need to know what the currency they are holding is that crucial that it needs to be written in ajami, then it is equally very important that all their transactions and contracts, whether in financial, real estate or marriage be reduced to writing in ajami......but it is not! so if ajami is not that important to the value of the local society up there why is it important on a national banner?

it's not a political fight for me.
you are the one who brought it up as a political conspiracy which I do not see.
I only see it as a way for hausas (who are not anglophone) to have their mark on the currency.
yorubas and igbos are anglophonic (english speaking). English is the national language and also features on the currency so I don't see any arabic inscription as a threat.

I am not the one to judge the importance of ajami to the north compared to the importance of english to the south. But my guess is that arabic is on the currency also for historical reason.

maybe in the future, nigeria will be mono-ethnic. but till then, I celebrate our diversity.
you remind me of some fanatics who see the festac 77 symbol as some hausa consipracy something to do with iman heads on the benin mask.

Negro_Ntns:

fashola has been wrong on a number of issues...this is one of them.

it's all for the sake of development. When the Eko atlantic, train stations and whatever else developments arrive we will benefit. but it will all come at a cost, for sure!!

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/727947.shtml

this is funny. rotfl

ajami went out of fashion in yorubaland at the turn of 1900 probably or early in that century.

in hausaland ajami was still popular till mid or late 60s. in the 70s you will see records of it but the hausa society hsd learned by then to use latin script like everyone else to communicate in their language.

the onion and pepper traders, the groundnut brokers, the kolanut wholesaler and the sorghum retailers, the cement store owner.....the subset of their population who on a daily basis were in constant transactions and contracts ...... even if they never been in an academic school, had all by the 80s been forced by the demands of market to acquire basic skills in monetary knowledge and the ability to read and understand invoices, shipping bills, contracts and promisory notes tendered in hausa language in latin alphabets.

by 1990, hardly do you come across a hausa trader that has not at least been in elementary school in his life.

for the minuscule subset who are still illiterate, they are not in the cycle of currency circulation and the ajami was not intentioned for that unproductive class to begin with.

it was a need at one point in past times, that need is no longer served.

i do not see a hausa wedding announced with invitation and flyers printed in ajami. i do not see the receipt of a retail transaction that took place in hausaland written in ajami. i do not see hausa auto tag plate written in ajami. no newspaper in hausaland is written in ajami. the defense. of a non-anglophone hausa has no standing, they dont need english to transact business and exchange currency and if the agreements and contracts of the exchange can be understood in non-ajami script, then the currency with the value of the commodity was transferred can also be ajami free.

unless there is some other reason why the ajami is still retained, then its meaning is no longer practical and should be erased. if an agenda exists that makes its presence valuable, then what is that agenda? this is not conspiracy, this is common sense.

What great harm is done by the presence of ajami on our currencies to warrant its removal? Are you people complaining because it looks like Arabic and you are transferring your bigotry into the debate?

What's the main reason for your complaints? Frankly, I don't care whether they add Chinese inscriptions to the N10000 bill as long as I can spend the doggone money.

ndu_chucks: What great harm is done by the presence of ajami on our currencies to warrant its removal? Are you people complaining because it looks like Arabic and you are transferring your bigotry into the debate?
What's the main reason for your complaints? Frankly, I don't care whether they add Chinese inscriptions to the N10000 bill as long as I can spend the doggone money.

Big reason Nigeria is still where it is today! Still the same I-don't-care-attitude! Ask questions!

@Negro-Nts,
In the same vein, I can argue that spelling out the number on the naira bills is pointless. If I see "100" I know what it means. Why do I need to see "One Hundred" written out? I smell Illuminati conspiracy. why would they put such pointless notation on the bill?

ndu_chucks: What great harm is done by the presence of ajami on our currencies to warrant its removal? Are you people complaining because it looks like Arabic and you are transferring your bigotry into the debate?

What's the main reason for your complaints? Frankly, I don't care whether they add Chinese inscriptions to the N10000 bill as long as I can spend the doggone money.

GBAM! it is nothing more than that.
and deep down inside, they also know it

@OP, I doubt if you are aware that the numbers you are using today neither have English nor Latin origins, but Arabic. Since you cant stand to see Arabic inscriptions on our currency, I guess you should also be asking why we use Arabic Numerals instead of Latin/Roman Numerals, or why your English Masters adopted Arabic numbers, and not theirs. I suggest that you and your kinds should stop writing Arabic numerals and start using Latin/Roman numerals from now henceforth.


hmm...lets see, how about you propose for the replacement of the following Arabic numeric inscriptions on our notes:

replace 10 with X so you can have your "X Naira" notes, replace 20 with XX so you and your kinds would be at peace with "XX Naira"notes, replace 50 with L so you can have your "L Naira" notes, replace 100 with C, so una go have una "C Naira" notes, ah ha!! how about una replace 200 with CC ,so you and your kinds can have your new "CC Naira" notes , replace 500 with D so you all can have your '' D Naira" notes, and abeg una fit change 1000 Naira to " M Naira" as well , so that you and your cohorts can finally feel at peace with the rest of us who do not give a hoot whether our dear Naira has Igbo, Hausa, Igalla, Tiv,Yoruba, Efik, or even Swahili inscriptions,so long as we can spend it.

BTW, Wen una teasha dey teash una for school how to write the Arabic numerals 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 & 10, why una no vex comot for class say, dis one no be english/latin/roman numerals?? And wen una teasha dey teash una how to write the English/Latin/Roman numerals I, II, III, iV, V,VI,VII,VIII,IX,& X , why una no com dey use that one for una daily lives, instead una com dey use the numerals wey dis "useless", "savage", "uncivilized", "terrorist", and "muslims" Arabs invent?


...some people claim to be educated, but bigotry and prejudice have turned them into glorified educated illiterates.

c.fours:


you are stupid if you can't find the answer in the two pages of this thread.
either that or you are looking for an answer that only fits your limited, ignorant world view.

your question even makes no sense. Saying arabic is islamic is akin to saying english is christian.
Why is there christian writing on the naira? is Nigeria a christian nation?

only a fool will not see through this topic as a biafra garbage.

You don't even know what Islamic calligraphy is, do you?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_calligraphy

Now, why is there Hausa Islamic calligraphy on the notes?

ezeagu:

You don't even know what Islamic calligraphy is, do you?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_calligraphy

Now, why is there Hausa Islamic calligraphy on the notes?

Abeg help me ask him again, I have asked many Islamic Clerics regarding that inscription many of them give dissenting responses on the real meaning of that 'inscription' trust me c.four is a clown!