The population of Hausa speakers in Nigeria has reached about 120 million, a colloquium has said. This was contained in a communiqué issued on Thursday at the end of a one-day colloquium organised by the Department of African Languages and Cultures, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria Kaduna State.

The communiqué, which was signed by Dr Balarabe Danladi and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said numerical strength, was a major consideration in which language becomes official. “This is because, it has speakers all over the world and the speakers are grouped into native and non-native speakers. “In Nigeria, native Hausa speakers exceed 70 million and non-native speakers who use Hausa as second language are likely to be between 40 and 50 million on a conservative estimate,” it added

The communiqué said it had also been observed that more than one-third of the total population of Nigeria, understood Hausa language, and that for being widely spread, within and outside Nigeria had established the fact that “Hausa is a lingua-franca in Nigeria. “This position has made it easier for Government to promote Hausa to the level of an official language in Nigeria

The argument is that a language that acquires lingua-franca status demands little effort from the government and scholars to qualify as an official language”, it noted. It said Hausa language is used in Mosques, Churches, business transactions and a host of other social and political activities. The communiqué said Hausa language had international recognition which served as a good index to initiate the process of making it an official one. It said Hausa had been recognised internationally in various spheres such as Microsoft, foreign universities, international media, Face book and other international works, and that adoption of indigenous language, particularly Hausa, would facilitate national growth and development. (NAN)

This is why I want Igbos to remain part of Nigeria, if Igbos leave, Hausa would become our lingua franca.

Will they force us to speak the language?

TippyTop:
This is why I want Igbos to remain part of Nigeria, if Igbos leave, Hausa would become our lingua franca.

and you think now if they start forcing you to accept Hausa as your lingua franca igbos would repeat the regrateable mistakes they made in the 60s , I thinks igbos have learn their lessons , only fools make the same mistake twice

Thank goodness this can't happen while the Easterners remain in Nigeria.

Sharia war taught us lessons we shouldn't forget so easily.

Hausa-Fulani is not even majority in Nigeria. They are less than 40% hence can't impose their language on 250 different native language speakers.

All these abokiii thinking like cows since 2000BC. Rubbish proposals that wont work. Will this solve poverty in the north? or defeat boko haram?

Hausa second language. Laughing in swahili

Chai ! chai!
LOL, if this happens I can forsee many Igbos killing themselves than committing suicide

TippyTop:
This is why I want Igbos to remain part of Nigeria, if Igbos leave, Hausa would become our lingua franca.

I prefer hausa, an indigenous language to be lingua franca than english, a foreign language forced on my ancestors


This is the best news ive heard this week.

Way to go

Going to perfect my hausa.

asorocker:


and you think now if they start forcing you to accept Hausa as your lingua franca igbos would repeat the regrateable mistakes they made in the 60s , I thinks igbos have learn their lessons , only fools make the same mistake twice

Shut up! You don't speak for the Igbos. We are no cowards...so NO ONE dare impose a language on us. Learning a language is a question of necessity and likeness

Hope they're aware that igbos are still in Nigeria ?

asorocker:


and you think now if they start forcing you to accept Hausa as your lingua franca igbos would repeat the regrateable mistakes they made in the 60s , I thinks igbos have learn their lessons , only fools make the same mistake twice

There's safety in numbers, should Igbos leave Nigeria, the SS would remain the only region with Christian majority, I don't think the SW would mind adopting Hausa as their lingua franca.

Stupedinluv:
I prefer hausa, an indigenous language to be lingua franca than english, a foreign language forced on my ancestors


This is the best news ive heard this week.

Way to go

Going to perfect my hausa.

Tell Aregbesola to adopt Hausa na, just leave it in the SW.

Hausa speakers has reached 120 million including cows,donkeys and camels.
This is laughable and should be moved to jokes section

Second?

Why not first??



Awusa shd as a matter of urgency replace english language in our schools,..follwed by arabic

Ndi ara

Hhh

I just read something stupid. We never learn Igbo finish na Hausa we go learn.



Where can Hausa take anybody to in this world? US, UK or China. Who in their right senses want to go to Boko Haram Country?



Hausa remains a language for the Hausa man, maybe his yoruba slaves or sidekick but leave us SS AND SE out.

This is why they want to conduct another sham census to provide them excuse to do things like this. Apart from diverting most of thr money to the north.

People, we better get serious and prepare to fight fulani. If not, one day they will make a law that your children are their wives simply because we are avoiding the necessary evil of fighting them.

Hausa can't be official Language through out Nigeria. Nobody in South cares about Hausa. Which bogus 120million figure is that?

Stupedinluv:
I prefer hausa, an indigenous language to be lingua franca than english, a foreign language forced on my ancestors


This is the best news ive heard this week.

Way to go

Going to perfect my hausa.

Why are your legs albino, and your face/hands red?

That phone camera don destroy your looks finish!

If dem like make the whole North and South west speak hausa, this generation of igbo youth and the future leaders of tommorrow have told dem that on Biafra we stand.


U kill us, our Children will grow and repeat it again, that we want Biafra.

Olive33:
same thing Afonja said many years ago .... Now ilorin have an emir

But you have no problem with africa having a white pope

I will comment later

Largas:

Why are your legs albino, and your face/hands red?

That phone camera don destroy your looks finish!

You are crazy

Me think Yoruba is.
All well known Nigerians in arts speak or use Yoruba as selling point.

Stupedinluv:
You are crazy

I love you

Largas:

I love you

I love me too

TippyTop:
This is why I want Igbos to remain part of Nigeria, if Igbos leave, Hausa would become our lingua franca.

mogidi


You are a real man who stands for the truth

Stupedinluv:
I love me too

shorop you are just stupidinluv with me

Useless issue and thinking, imagine cus over half of the population speaks hause makes it oficial? Hw many were speaking english when it became offical language? Who forbids u 4rm using any language u like?

This one na 4 illorin dem one introduce am. Everybody knows the SW is over due for language change. Wat is the difference between a yoruba man and an Hausa man? They might as well start speaking Hausa in the SW.