A professor of linguistics at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Christine Iyetunde Ofulue, has described Nigerian Pidgin as one of the fastest-growing languages in the world, spoken by as many as 120 million people.
Delivering NOUN’s 35th inaugural lecture in Abuja, titled “Reclaiming Marginalised Voices: Intersections of Diversity and Educational Spaces,” Ofulue said Nigeria’s linguistic diversity remains vast, with more than 540 languages across the Afro-Asiatic, Nilo-Saharan, and Niger-Congo language families.
She said Nigerian Pidgin, born from centuries of trade and cultural contact, has grown from a colonial trade code into a unifying language of daily life, creative expression, and social connection. Among the world’s 76 pidgins and creoles, it ranks 14th globally by number of speakers, she noted.
Ofulue warned, however, that many minority languages face neglect and possible extinction due to declining intergenerational transmission, while English continues to dominate education and administration. She called for deliberate policies to reposition indigenous languages, including digitisation, research, and the development of glossaries for digital and technical fields.
NOUN Vice-Chancellor Professor Olufemi Peters praised her work, switching to pidgin during his remarks, while Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Isaac Butswat commended her contribution to understanding its evolution.
Leave feedback about this