*CORRECTIONS TO THE NUC ARABIC LANGUAGE AS A PRE-REQUISITE FOR COURSES IN NIGERIAN UNIVERSITIES- NIGERIANS SAY NO

The recension on NERDC 9-YR CRS/IRS BASIC EDUCATION CURRICULUM (BEC) as 'Separate Subjects' would be incomplete without immediate CORRECTIONS TO THE NATIONAL UNIVERSITIES COMMISSION (NUC) - ARABIC LANGUAGE, AS AN ENTRY PRE-REQUISITE FOR COURSES IN ALL NIGERIAN UNIVERSITIES. SECONDLY, SO IS THE CASE OF ARABIC LANGUAGE, ALSO AS A GENERAL STUDIES (GS) COURSE AND REQUIREMENT IN ALL UNIVERSITIES. The intervention of the National Assembly to ensure genuine respect for the Nigerian Constitution and the abolition of the said revised 9-YR CRS/IRS BEC Curriculum after so much clamouring by the Nigerian populace is a timely and very welcome development.

However, the case of NUC requirement/pre-requisite of ARABIC for offering Management Courses such as Accounting, Business Studies etc., in our Universities in Nigeria is not only an ear and heart ache, but definitely an eye-sore and would need be rectified as well. How can one imagine that Arabic language is now equivalent to either Mathematics or Economics, etc., and if you have a credit in Arabic language, you are good to go? What on earth has Arabic language got to do with Accounting and Banking? It is aimed at what? To make sure that if you do not make the required subjects you can escape with Arabic? To islamize the Nigerian Universities Educational System? To make sure that every Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria in the future must be a Muslim? To make Nigeria an annex of Saudi Arabia? This is nothing but corruption of highest order in high places.

More seriously, in the same breath, is the case of NUC requirement/pre-requisite of ARABIC as one of the GENERAL STUDIES COURSES to be offered in year one of all our Universities. This is to say one must study Arabic language to be in any University in Nigeria!! Alarming!!! This to say the least is not just laughable and unacceptable, but a very serious matter of national intellectual concern and this hydra-headed conspiracy agenda against the country must collapse. Why will Arabic be offered as part of GS Courses in all Nigerian Universities? To be specific, Arabic is designed and approved currently by the National Universities Commission (NUC) as given below:

*COURSE CODE, TITLE, UNIT & DESIGNATION*

*GST 124 - Basic Communication in Arabic (2C Units)*
*COMPULSORY*
COURSE TITLE: Basic Communication in Arabic
COURSE CODE: GST 124
COURSE UNITS: 2 Units
COURSE DESIGNATION: Compulsory (C)

*COURSE DESCRIPTION*
GST 124: BASIC COMMUNICATION IN ARABIC
(Thirty Lecture Hours in a Semester (LH 30)
"INTRODUCTION TO ARABIC ALPHABETS AND WRITING SYSTEMS, ELEMENTARY CONVERSATIONAL DRILLS. BASIC READING SKILLS AND SENTENCE CONSTRUCTION IN ARABIC" - WITH COURSE OUTLINE.

This ARABIC Course is listed among other GS Courses:
*GENERAL STUDIES COURSE YEAR ONE COMPULSORY*:
GST 111. Communication in English. 2Units/C.
GST 112. Logic, philosophy & Human existence.2Units/C.
GST 113. Nigeria People and Culture. 2Units/C.
GST 121. Use of Library, Study Skills and ICT 2Units/C.
GST 124. Basic Communication in Arabic. 2Units/C.

The BMAS documents were produced for the under-listed academic disciplines:
I. Administration: management and Management Technology.
II. Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries and Home Economics.
III. Arts.
IV. Education.
V. BASIC Medical and Health Sciences.
VI. Engineering and Technology.
VII. Environmental Sciences.
VIII. Law.
IX. Pharmaceutical Sciences.
X. Medicine and Dentistry.
XI. Science.
XII. Social Sciences.
XIII. Veterinary Medicine.

*The BMAS design for this is said to serve as a guide to all Nigerian Universities in their Curriculum design.*

Invariably, to study all of these courses, Arabic is ridiculously a GS pre- requisite. As a former Director of General Studies Unit, in a Nigerian University, I would ask please: Of what relevance is the inclusion of ARABIC in the G.S Department University Curriculum in the 21st. Century? Of course, of all the first ten (10) major languages spoken world-wide, Arabic came about 5th, after Chinese, Spanish, English, and Hindi. We may as well start learning the first three languages. Then, the Christians also can demand for Hebrew,Aramaic or Greek languages. Same goes for the Traditional religion Adherents who can demand for Odu Ifa or oracle incantations to be included. Why must it be Arabic alone? What is the sin of Nigerians after over fifty years of independence that all our students should start chanting Arabic in the Universities - including Christian students? After saying book is bad (boko is haram)? No plans toward the millennium goals for our teeming growing youth population and generations unborn! The growing agitations for the need for restructuring of the country is certainly here evident.

If this is the vision, ambition and expectation of certain Nigerians for whatever reasons or beliefs for their generations unborn, they certainly need not extend it to all other adventurous and forward looking Nigerians. One smells rat and suspects some underlying sinister reasons, that are very suspicious and this is unbecoming in a multicultural, multi- religious and multilingual diversified nation as Nigeria that has a constitution.

In conclusion, it is advisable that all the stakeholders get back to sit and study a copy of our constitution and THE NATIONAL POLICY ON EDUCATION from where we understood:
The five endorsed national goals of Nigeria include:
- A free and democratic society.
- A just and egalitarian society.
- A great and dynamic economy.
- A land full of bright opportunities for all citizens.
In line with the Nigeria's philosophy of Education, it was accordingly further stated that: "Education shall continue to be highly rated in the National development plans because education is the most important instrument for change; any fundamental change in the intellectual and social outlook of any society has to be preceded by an educational revolution." We need to stop dissipating energy uneccessarily in this nation.

God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria!

As atrocious as this may be, you would be surprised that some people would still come online and beginning to spew chit about how English alone cannot be our only official language.

I feel so so sorry for this country Nigeria. Since the Hausa/Fulani bloodhounds have an agenda for the country, they are looking to subtly reenact what happened in Lebanon and Turkey in Nigeria.

The most painful part of this whole thing is people who are supposed to speak out will just take a glance and move ahead since it does not affect them at the moment.

I guess the country called Nigeria will soon change her name to any of the following names:

Federal Republic of Arab.
Federal Republic of Islam or
Federal Republic of Hausa

Is that not where we are heading?

I guess the country called Nigeria will soon change her name to any of the following names:

Federal Republic of Arab.
Federal Republic of Islam or
Federal Republic of Hausa

Is that not where we are heading??

Can you imagine not even French na Arabic. Na real wa

Arabic or French are International languages each student can choose as GST.