There are less than 70 languages in Nigeria. The languages that are spoken by more than 1 million people are around 19. The problem with many of the so called 300+ languages of Nigeria is that many of them are either dialects, are spoken by 1 village or are extinct or even all of the options. Most are dialects under one language family like Isoko and Urhobo.

For example Anaang, Ibibio and Efik are dialects of one language. Ambo is a language in Taraba state spoken by 1 village, yes 1 village and it is a dialect of Tiv. Bassa-Kontagora is a dialect of Basa spoken in Niger state by 10 people.

This is the list of distinct languages in Nigeria that are spoken by more than 50,000 people. The languages in bold are spoken by 1 million and more and the underlined more than 10 million.

1 Bade
2 Bariba
3 Basa
4 Bata
5 Berom
6 Bendi
7 Biu-Mandara
8 Bole
9 Bura-Pabir
10 Busa
11 Che
12 Cibak
13 Daka
14 Duka
15 Ebira
16 Edo
17 Efik
18 Eggon
19 Ekoi
20 Fulani
21 Gbagyi
22 Gun
23 Hausa
24 Huba
25 Hyam
26 Idoma
27 Igala
28 Igbo
29 Ijo
30 Itsekiri
31 Jarawa
32 Jju
33 Kambrai
34 Kamwe
35 Kanuri
36 Kororofa
37 Kukele
38 Lokaa
39 Mada
40 Mambila
41 Mumuye
42 Ngas
43 Nupe
44 Obolo
45 Ogbia
46 Ogoni
47 Oring
48 Pidgin
49 Ron
50 Shuwa Arabic
51 Tangale
52 Tarok
53 Tiv
54 Tyap
55 Urhobo
56 Vere
57 Warji
58 Yekhee
59 Yoruba
60 Zarma

http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=ng

@Ezeagu: This is the best classification I have seen so far. Awolowo counted up to 51 languages of Nigeria.
@No. 18, do you mean Egun language spoken in Lagos state and a tiny part of Ogun state?.

Andre Uweh:

@Ezeagu: This is the best classification I have seen so far. Awolowo counted up to 51 languages of Nigeria.
@No. 18, do you mean Egun language spoken in Lagos state and a tiny part of Ogun state?.

There's an 'Eggon' in Nassarawa: http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=ego

I was thinking of grouping Isekiri with Yoruba, if not for ethnic politics.

i heard that people from ibadan do not understand ekiti?no wcan they all be classified as one language

asha 80:

i heard that people from ibadan do not understand ekiti?no wcan they all be classified as one language 

They can still be classified as one language. It's also useful to note that some languages are being replaced by languages that have a high amount of people who prefer it like Hausa and Kanuri.

asha 80:

i heard that people from ibadan do not understand ekiti?no wcan they all be classified as one language

They do understand about 45%.

Despite great dialectrical variations in Yorubaland, all the dialects are grouped as Yoruba.
But enemy of Ndigbo are very quick to classify some Igbo dialects as separate languages e.g Ika, Ekpeye etc.

Andre Uweh:

Despite great dialectrical variations in Yorubaland, all the dialects are grouped as Yoruba.
But enemy of Ndigbo are very quick to classify some Igbo dialects as separate languages e.g Ika, Ekpeye etc.

It's true, although I see it as a lack of interest in what the editors saw as a secondary group probably (hence the 18 million estimation, only if the Igbo had empires ). To be fair Ekpeye and Ika, Ikwerre etc are grouped under 'Igboid'. A 'language' I found interesting is Legbo spoken in Afikpo, and has an alternate name of 'Igbo', yet it's classified as a distinct language and Isekiri is 'Yoruboid'. There are probably so many other 'languages' like this, especially the ones classified as 'Cross River' langauges.

ezeagu:

They can still be classified as one language. It's also useful to note that some languages are being replaced by languages that have a high amount of people who prefer it like Hausa and Kanuri.

It is inevitable that those languages will be swallowed.most of them now only speak hausa and do not understand and have any idea how to speak their language.

Yoruba has a dialect called Igbonna, this has to be a joke, or ancient link. . .

ezeagu:

Yoruba has a dialect called Igbonna, this has to be a joke, or ancient link. . .

I know of Igbomina.

Ethno-linguistic groups is a better expression for that list, in my opinion.

Legbo is a language of spoken in Cross River state not Afikpo. The Legbo people bear Igbo names that are common in Afikpo eg Kanu Agabi. This former minister is Legbo and not Igbo.
My coursemate during my undergraduate days shared a common surname (Agbi) with a lecturer from Cross River state. Yet one is Igbo and the other is not.

asha 80:

i heard that people from ibadan do not understand ekiti?no wcan they all be classified as one language

I think Ekiti should just be classified as its own language. The dialect differs a lot from Yoruba. It's like speaking french to a Spanish person.

Andre Uweh:

They do understand about 30 45%.

Fixed

Ileke-IdI:

I think Ekiti should just be classified as its own language. The dialect differs a lot from Yoruba. It's like speaking french to a Spanish person.

Fixed

If it were in Igboland, it would have been classified as its own language. This is what you find out in Ika, Ekpeye and so on.
Ekiti people should be lucky they do not have identity crises.

Andre Uweh:

If it were in Igboland, it would have been classified as its own language. This is what you find out in Ika, Ekpeye and so on.
Ekiti people should be lucky they do not have identity crises.

This might sound ignorant, but you said something about the enemies of Igboland trying to classify Igbo dialects as separate languages, in order to . . . .?
And who classified these languages? Nigerians themselves or their colonist?

Yea, Ekiti is "one person". Same language, culture, food, tradition etc throughout the state.

Ileke-IdI:

This might sound ignorant, but you said something about the enemies of Igboland trying to classify Igbo dialects as separate languages, in order to . . . .?
And who classified these languages? Nigerians themselves or their colonist?

Yea, Ekiti is "one person". Same language, culture, food, tradition etc throughout the state.

Sometime after the Nigerian crises, The Nigerian govt hired a Linguist to classify Nigerian languages. I can't remember that lady's name now. This lady was the one who came up Ekpeye, Ika, Ikwerre and so on as separate languages from Igbo.
Yet that linguist did not classify Owoh, Ekiti, Ijebu as separate languages from Yoruba.
Since then, some of this Igbo groups has been having identity crises.
That woman is an enemy of Ndigbo.

Andre Uweh:

Sometime after the Nigerian crises, The Nigerian govt hired a Linguist to classify Nigerian languages. I can't remember that lady's name now. This lady was the one who came up Ekpeye, Ika, Ikwerre and so on as separate languages from Igbo.
Yet that linguist did not classify Owoh, Ekiti, Ijebu as separate languages from Yoruba.
Since then, some of this Igbo groups has been having identity crises.
That woman is an enemy of Ndigbo.

oh ok.

Ileke-IdI:

I think Ekiti should just be classified as its own language. The dialect differs a lot from Yoruba. It's like speaking french to a Spanish person.

Lets say that somebody from ibadan translated in writing a story written in english into his dialect and someone from ekiti did the same,wouldnt they both be able to understand what the other person wrote?

chyz:

Lets say that somebody from ibadan translated in writing a story written in english into his dialect and someone from ekiti did the same,wouldnt they both be able to understand what the other person wrote?

Not really. But I do  know that some Yorubas [CAN speak Yoruba] that have never had any encounter with Ekiti dialect, cannot decipher Ekiti when it's being spoken on this forum. It's different from General Yoruba, some words are similar tho.

Ileke-IdI:

Not really. But I do  know that some Yorubas [CAN speak Yoruba] that have never had any encounter with Ekiti dialect, cannot decipher Ekiti when it's being spoken on this forum. It's different from General Yoruba, some words are similar tho.

Wow interesting! I thought the only difference were in the tones,never knew that there were words that were completely different . this is Itsekiri, can u understand this? although i hear ijebus are the ones that hear it best:

[flash=300,300]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7Sc9rf4rzo[/flash]

Actually it's less than that. Kukele for instance is Igboid.

@ Andre, Legbo is also spoken in Ebonyi State, other are Afikpo, Mgbo, Izzi, Ezaa, Ikwo, Kukele, Mbembe, and Oring and are all classified as Igbo.

chyz:

Wow interesting! I thought the only difference were in the tones,never knew that there were words that were completely different . this is Itsekiri, can u understand this? although i hear ijebus are the ones that hear it best:

[flash=300,300]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7Sc9rf4rzo[/flash]

Isnt itsekiri part of Igboland? What do I know sef lol

I couldnt understand the words in the video.

Andre Uweh:

Sometime after the Nigerian crises, The Nigerian govt hired a Linguist to classify Nigerian languages. I can't remember that lady's name now. This lady was the one who came up Ekpeye, Ika, Ikwerre and so on as separate languages from Igbo.
Yet that linguist did not classify Owoh, Ekiti, Ijebu as separate languages from Yoruba.
Since then, some of this Igbo groups has been having identity crises.
That woman is an enemy of Ndigbo.

lol, can you provide proof of this?

As far as I can tell, Ikas identity crisis stems from the Edo influence on their language and the attempts by some to claim, legitimately or illegitimately, Benin descent. Ekpeyes do identify with Igbos from what I've been able to read so far.

Ikwerre's identity crisis stems from being at odds with the non-native Igbos who immigrated to their area of Nigeria from the "core" Igboland areas, as far as I can tell. Some consider themselves a different group because of competing interests with "core" Igbos, not because of some linguists' claims. "Ogbakor Ikwerre" was founded in 1963. Read Elechi Amadi's Sunset in Biafra to see whether they considered themselves different from "real" Igbos because of some linguist, or because of a different outlook and situation from "core" Igbos.

Ileke-IdI:

Isnt itsekiri part of Igboland? What do I know sef lol

I couldnt understand the words in the video.

Naw itsekiri are Yorubas but for politics they are "itsekiri".lol. They are even in Afenifere. The ijebus say they speak the original ijebu.

PhysicsQED:

lol, can you provide proof of this?

As far as I can tell, Ikas identity crisis stems from the Edo influence on their language and the attempts by some to claim, legitimately or illegitimately, Benin descent. Ekpeyes do identify with Igbos from what I've been able to read so far.

Ikwerre's identity crisis stems from being at odds with the non-native Igbos who immigrated to their area of Nigeria from the "core" Igboland areas, as far as I can tell. Some consider themselves a different group because of competing interests with "core" Igbos, not because of some linguists' claims. "Ogbakor Ikwerre" was founded in 1963. Read Elechi Amadi's Sunset in Biafra to see whether they considered themselves different from "real" Igbos because of some linguist, or because of a different outlook and situation from "core" Igbos.

I know what he's talking about. there was a white lady the did the classification.i will try and provide the information. But you are right about the ikwerre complaint about "core igbo" competion; however, at that time,before the war they did consider themselves Igbo

Obiagu1:

Actually it's less than that. Kukele for instance is Igboid.

where is kukele spoken?

chyz:

where is kukele spoken?

In Ebonyi, Cross River and Benue States.

Obiagu1:

In Ebonyi, Cross River and Benue States.

are there any info on Igbos from benue or organization because they are the only ones i cant find info on?

chyz:

Naw itsekiri are Yorubas but for politics they are "itsekiri".lol. They are even in Afenifere. The ijebus say they speak the original ijebu.

Interesting, never knew.
Ijebu dialect, I dont think I'd understand it if I heard it.

chyz:

are there any info on Igbos from benue or organization because they are the only ones i cant find info on?

I don't know about Igbo organisations in Benue. I've not researched about them, however, the Igbo groups in Benue are known as Igbos by the Benue State government because I've read some ongoing conflicts between various ethinic groups in Benue and Igbo group was mentioned. However, I don't know whether the Kukele(Bakele) are known as Igbos in Benue but in Ebonyi, the are, probably the Ezzi people could understand them well. I've listened to their audio recording and it's hard to understand like Ezzi but listening deeply, I could understand just some of what they were saying.

Kukele (Bakele) are found in Ogoja LGA, Cross River; Abakaliki LGA, Ebonyi state; and Okpokwu and Oju LGAs, Benue state.

@ chyz

Naw itsekiri are Yorubas but for politics they are "itsekiri".lol. They are even in Afenifere. The ijebus say they speak the original ijebu.

itsekiri are not yoruba. Stop spreading misinformation.

The other day you also said akoko edo is yoruba.

They're not.