I have watched for several days now with great dismay and annoyance the unintelligent argument about the Ajami script (yes not Arabic but Ajami) on the naira.

First I was tempted to counter with similar crude line of thought such as: "Ok remove the cross from all medical symbols". But then I said to myself "put your self in the shoes of those on the other side". And there and then I realised that there are genuine concerns borne out of a mixture of misinformation, ignorance of the facts and some form of inferiority complex (I will explain). And although there are a lot of breying donkeys in this debate, underneath their vulgar sounds lies voices of genuine concern and reason. It is the latter that I hope to address.

THE AJAMI SCRIPT (NOT ARABIC)
The Ajami script is considered an Arabic-derived African writing system . It is a process similar to what has been done with the Arabic script in non-Arab countries of the Middle East and South Asia and with the Latin script in Africa or with the Latin-based Vietnamese alphabet.
The Hausa language (the most spoken indigenous, native African language) heavily relied on these scripts for literacy and education in the pre colonial era. In fact manuscripts of writings on poetry, politics and sociology by African intellectuals (including Usman Dan fodio, Nana Asmau - his daughter) dating hundreds of years back still exist.

The Hausa language is a member of the Chadic branch of the Afroasiatic language family. This family includes the the semitic branch with languages such as Hebrew, Aramaic, Assyrian and Arabic among others. A writing script that is a derivative from one of its cousin branches is only natural.

to be continued

THE NAIRA CONNECTION
As mentioned above the Ajami writing script was used by the Hausas - the largest native ethnic group in Africa, mainly within the territories of Niger and the northern half of Nigeria, and with significant minorities in Ghana, Sudan, and Cameroon.
In fact this writing script was used in communications between "Hausa rulers" and British officers. A young colonial officer F.W.H. Migeod described the situation as follows:

"As to correspondence in these Mohammedan countries, if a native is writing to a European, and knows that the latter is acquainted with the local language but not with Arabic, the local language will in all probability be used. Many of the letters addressed to political officers in Northern Nigeria by Hausa chiefs are of this nature"

The use of Ajami script as a medium of written communication was wide spread in Northern Nigeria even in official capacities. With the introduction of the West African Pound and the Nigerian Pound in the early 1900s both the Ajami script and Latin script were used to ensure its acceptance and understanding by all (the Latin lettered and the Ajami lettered areas of west Africa). The Ajami script was a matter of exigency since the alternative was to defeat the essence of the currency notes as a medium of exchange. In fact until this day a lot of people in the North still rely on these scripts especially to operate phones (most phones sent to Africa have the Ajami script under the Arabic language option)

IN CONCLUSION
The innovation of an African writing systems by Africans for Africans should be something of pride and not a source of derision among ourselves. The Ajami script was not only used by Chadic languages of the Afroasiatic family such as Hausa but also by Atlantic languages of the Niger-Congo family like Yoruba.
Writing forms just like languages and humans are related through descent from a common ancestral source or parental root. You have no choice in what end of that source you emanate from, neither is one branch of that root better than the other, these are means and paths to achieve our essence of existence (whatever that may mean to you)

yes by all means

Ok

Yes....

ggood:
yes by all means

It will never happen. You can take that to the bank.

Its irrevelant to worry about

Yes, Arabic should be removed

Yes
Wetin ajami script Arabic dey find?
Are we Sudan?

theFilmtricsay

theFilmtric:
Yes
Wetin ajami script Arabic dey find?
Are we Sudan?

theFilmtricsay

No we are not, but we are being led governed ruled by a Sudanese

No need to remove any Arabic on the naira note

internationalman:


No we are not, but we are being led governed ruled by a Sudanese

Ohh!
I've forgotten
Jubril El Sudan Buhari

theFilmtricsay

goodness me! imagine some comments

Yes, remove any Arabic inscriptions on the Naira.

If you can find any Arabic inscriptions on the Naira note.

It will surely be removed. It was on 5, 20, 50 and 100 naira.

Mynd44:
Yes, remove any Arabic inscriptions on the Naira.

If you can find any Arabic inscriptions on the Naira note.

There is no Arabic on the naira, what you find is the Ajami script

naija4life247:


It will never happen. You can take that to the bank.

It will happen, get that into your skull.

Saifularh:

There is no Arabic on the naira, what you find is the Ajami script

We don't want any ajami or eledemi on it.

it has been removed from 5, 10, 20,50 and 100.

It will still be remove 200, 500 , 1000

Gabkosh:
We don't want any ajami or eledemi on it.

it has been removed from 5, 10, 20,50 and 100.

It will still be remove 200, 500 , 1000

May I ask why you want it removed even though that is what some rely on to read?

Saifulah:

May I ask why you want it removed even though that is what some rely on to read?

Because Nigeria is not an Arabic nation. Gradually, it won't be on 200, 500 and 1000 notes anymore.

Gabkosh:
Because Nigeria is not an Arabic nation. Gradually, it won't be on 200, 500 and 1000 notes anymore.

did you read my submission

It has long been removed

Bross, I've been around for at least 3 decades and till date I've never looked at any figure other than the numeric figures in our currency, every other thing there na decoration

SMI2020:
Bross, I've been around for at least 3 decades and till date I've never looked at any figure other than the numeric figures in our currency, every other thing there na decoration

I agree with you, likewise here. But when ever there is a change or redesign in a note then the texts become very useful- even if it's for a while before everyone gets used to it