₦airaland Forum

networkgenuis:
Further Maths and Medicine is taught in Chinese language. Go figure.

Juliusmalema:
At the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS), many students and workers take pride in speaking Hausa. With English relegated, their non-Hausa speaking colleagues are left in the lurch. MUNEER YAQUB writes.

Language is the most potent tool of communication. It projects identity and promotes cohesiveness, especially in a homogeneous society. For a multi-cultural society, such as Nigeria, with over 300 ethnic groups and more than 200 dialects, adopting a common language would help in unifying the diverse ethnic nationalities.


English is Nigeria’s lingua franca. It is the language of instruction and communication in official and unofficial circles. Many schools frown at  those who communicate in other language than English.

But at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS), many students take delight in speaking Hausa.

For students who don’t understand Hausa, living among native Hausa speakers comes with its own challenges. Such is the ordeal of Jasper Adegunloye (not real name), a native of Ogbomoso in Oyo State, who was accused of a crime he did not commit.

Besides English, the only other language he speaks is Yoruba. His quest for tertiary education took him to Sokoto, a predominantly Hausa-speaking society. Now in his third year, he narrated how he was accused of theft by his colleagues.

“It was in the library,” he recalled.

After long hours of study, Jasper came out of the library to fetch his bag that he dropped in the perforated shelf at the library entrance. Having forgotten the exact place he kept his bag, he started opening all holes in the shelf in search of the item. But, he was challenged by a library official, who thought he was up to something else.

“It was the most horrible day of my life. I had thought the official was a student, trying to challenge me. He yelled at me in Hausa. I was lost, since I don’t understand the language. I snapped back at him and told him I didn’t understand what he was saying. He didn’t understand English. We couldn’t understand ourselves. Before I knew what was going on, he held me by my shirt and dragged me to the security unit.

“Unfortunately, the guards on duty couldn’t understand English too. This gave the guy a chance to change the narrative. Before I was allowed to explain my own side of the story, I had been treated as a criminal,” Jasper recounted.

The matter got to a head. His case was taken up by the security unit and he visited the unit for two months before he was finally acquitted.

He said: “My student Identity (ID) Card was seized, along with my library card. I was not allowed to study in the library for the rest of the semester. This affected my academic performance, all because I could not speak Hausa to people who do not understand English. This was an employee of a federal university for that matter.”

At the female hostels, there is an agreed time for putting off the light. Bilqees Abu, an Ebira, lives in an hostel with Hausa roommates. She has an ear for Hausa, but she cannot speak it.

For Bilqees and her roommates, the light in their room must be put off by 11pm. But, one of her roommates broke the rule because she wanted to wash her clothes.


Bilqees said: “She turned the light on. I wouldn’t sleep if the light is on. Even though her action got me angry, I suppressed my emotion and refrained from letting out my complaint.”

It became unbearable for Bilqees when the roommate later started a loud conversation with others.

Bilqees said: “I couldn’t take it anymore. So, I stood up from my bed and walked carefully to her corner in order not to disturb others in the room. I politely told her to switch off the light. But she looked at me scornfully and yelled at me, asking how she was disturbing my sleep. I was shocked. Then, she faced her friends and started insulting me in Hausa right there in my presence.

“Unknown to her, I understood every word she said. And she was shocked when she had discovered I understood everything she said. I was so annoyed and almost fought with her that night. To be honest, language barrier can cause a crisis in this school.”

Rodiyah Omotoyosi, a student from Ekiti State, was surprised when she found that Hausa is the major language of communication in the school.

“You can imagine my horror when I found out that staff of the school, whether a lecturer or a cleaner, speak Hausa to everyone,” she said.

Rodiyah said she had been having communication challenges since she was admitted into the school. Most of her classmates speak Hausa more than they speak English, she added.

She said: “I had thought things would take a turn for the better once I settled down, but to my utmost surprise the reverse has been the case. I had issues with a group of security officers the first time I visited the school’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Centre to complete my registration. With my flowing hijab, they thought I must be Hausa.

“They started speaking Hausa to me, but I could not comprehend. I had to scream that I didn’t understand the language. They thought I was ill-mannered. It was when they realised I don’t understand their language that they spoke English.”

Kolawole Muhyideen greeted a non-teaching staff in English and was surprised when he responded in Hausa. The student said he didn’t know how to respond to Ina Kwana.

“He saw the confusion on my face. When I explained what I came to do in his office, he still would not speak in the language I would understand. I was disappointed. He kept responding to my inquiry in Hausa,” he said.

When the non-teaching staff eventually spoke English, Kolawole said the grammar and accent were worse than speaking Hausa.

He added: “I wish I had allowed him to speak Hausa, because I couldn’t pick anything from all he was saying. His English was so bad. It was even worse than Hausa. I was so sad. Why would an office in a university, with students from diverse backgrounds, be occupied by someone who cannot even properly communicate in English?”

The language barrier  also reflects in the classroom between lecturers and students. Subjects that should be taught in English are, sometimes, delivered in Hausa to enable Hausa speakers understand the subjects.

Murtadoh Abdullahi, an Education and Islamic Studies student from Ogun State, said he had such an encounter with a lecturer.

“It was my first time in Arabic class,” Murtadoh said, adding: “The lecturer announced that only Arabic was allowed in his class. In the middle of the lesson, the lecturer switched to Hausa. And this went on for about half an hour. I drew his attention to the rule he had set, and to the overwhelming non-Hausa population in the class.

“Although he switched back to Arabic later, he completed the lecture with a mixture of Hausa and Arabic. At this point, I knew any effort to call him to order might seem like confrontation. And that was how the lecture ended his teaching and I gained nothing. Even though I prepared to face such challenge in the school, I never imagined that it could be that bad.”

Isa Ismail, though based in Katsina, does not understand Hausa. He is a Yoruba native. He is disappointed at the manner religious activities on the campus are conducted in Hausa. He said he likes to participate in religious activities, but the language remains the hindrance.

Dean of Students’ Affairs (DSA), Prof Aminu Mode, in his reaction said the management was not aware of what he called the unacceptable” develoment.

He said: “Lecturers are not supposed to use any other language aside from English to teach in the class, even if the topic is Arabic related. The acceptable language of instruction is English, and it is unfair to the rest of the students who don’t understand any other language beyond English.”

The dean said it would be an aberration for Hausa students studying in Yoruba land to be taught in a language they won’t understand. He said it would be wrong for any lecturer to impose native language on students apart from the official lingua franca.

He advised students to report cases of victimisation based on language to senior officers of the university, promising to raise awareness about the need to keep English as the official language of communication on the campus.




http://thenationonlineng.net/the-language-barrier-at-danfodiyo-varsity/

Buterflyle0:
Results of Apc Presidential primaries using option A 4 direct delegates.

1 Rivers APC 388,653 votes.
2 Kano - 2,931,235 votes
3 Lagos - 1.9million votes
4 Zamfara- 247,840,Votes
5 Imo State- 697,532 Votes
6 Katsina - 802, 819 Votes
7 Sokoto - 472,344 Votes
8 Jigawa - 202,599 votes
9 Bauchi - 786,032 votes
10 Benue - 259,130 votes

8.7m from only 10 states in primary alone. out of 37

There is fire on the mountain for the opposition

http://www.inecnigeria.org/?page_id=28


95. Q. Can a person be disqualified from contesting election?

Ans. Yes. A person can be disqualified from contesting election if he/she:

Is a person employed in the public service of the Federation or of any State and has not resigned, withdrawn or retired from such employment thirty (30) days before the date of election
has acquired the citizenship of another country;
has been adjudged to be a lunatic or of unsound mind by any law in force;
is under death sentence imposed on him/her by a competent court of law or tribunal in Nigeria, or sentence of imprisonment or fine for any offence involving dishonesty or fraud or any other offence;
is declared bankrupt;
is within the period of less than ten (10) years before the date of the election, has been convicted and sentenced for an offence involving dishonesty;
is a member of a secret society; or
has presented a forged certificate(s) to the Commission

MarysMeaI:
mayor how far
what's the latest result?

lizzybet:
lol Your head is there op ( ori e wa n be).
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL YORUBA SONS AND DAUGHTERS HOME AND ABROAD
It's a victory we don't tolerate IPOB SWINE party on our soil

As for Fayose, don't end like Bashorun Gaa, You're Omoluabi
despite being the strongest opposition voice I doubt they will give you VP slot, remember, all your political decision must benefit Yoruba nation, we love you still

raumdeuter:
Osun delivered

Next stop Kwara

AmadiAba:
Have you read that he donated over N500m in 1998 to PDP before he became governor? Anybody that can give out such cash in 1998, in definitely in too much money.

Wisdomkosi:
There is jubilations right now in Aba, Kano, Umuahia, Kaduna as news filtered in that Kalu’s EFCC case has been transfered to another Judge following running battle between Kalu and Justice Mohammed Idris over his poor handling of the case.

Some of the people interviewed by IGBERE TV lampooned the judge over his handling of the case accusing him of collecting Bribe from enemies of Kalu in PDP to truncate justice.

“We are jubilating because we know that Orji Kalu is innocent of the allegations against him.
If anybody should be prosecuted, it should be people like Obasanjo and T. Orji who came to power without a Kobo and left as Billionaires. We all know that Orji Kalu was already into big money before he came into politics” a respondent, Chinedum Amadi said.

Source : http://igberetvnews.com/466347/breaking-efcc-jubilations-aba-kano-abuja-umuahia-kalu-records-another-victory-court/

obaloppelujo:
Abia Civil Servants Lay Curses On Ikpeazu Over Non-payment Of 9months Salary. Haters of Aregbe, can u pray make APC win in ABIA State?

blackfish:
I think account with monikers like buhariguy, GoTV, Deltayankeeboi, EweduAfonja should be banned completely. New defaulters should be suspended also

keryj:
corper Jide need to report her to the authorities in the school just to save his neck if not the cunny girl can turn the jist around to bitter stories.

as remedy, she needs counseling, not flogging or punishment but if corper Jide loves her back, he should head straight to the family to do the needful and am sure they will accept because she must be overdue for marriage already.

deomelo:
[s][/s]



Utter nonsense, nothing comes easy in life and if direct primaries and end of automatic tickets and impositions regardless of performance means losing elections, so be it.

Automatic tickets and remaining in office without facing any kind of contest or primaries = Imposition and Godfatherism.


Direct primaries means democracy and you can not in one breath want and preach democracy while at the same time in another breath demanding automatic tickets and imposition. It's hypocritical.



Direct primaries is the Democratic and the best way forward, win or lose

rock003:
So, APC winning election is now Yoruba success? What manner of deep seated emptiness is this for God's sake?!