JUSTIFY THE ASSERTION THAT ENGLISH LANGUAGE IS A CURSE IN NIGERIA

(ENGLISH LANGUAGE IS A BLESSING IN NIGERIA)

English language is a blessing and not a curse in Nigeria. English language is the

language of the colonialist in Nigeria. It is the language that the natives adopted to their culture.

It is a language for everybody. English language has done more good than harm to the nation.

English language has made a lot of things easier, like communication, Creation of more Job

opportunities, tool of unifying people and so on.

English language has served as a tool that joins Nigerians together in terms of

communication. Communication would have been so hard among Nigerians if English was not in

existence. English has made it convenient for an average Nigerian speaker to have mutual

intelligibility while communicating. During communication, if one cannot speak Standard

English, pidgin can serve as another alternative. With the knowledge of English, one can interact

with other people from other countries, English is for all. For instance, when a speaker of

English travels to another foreign country, he or she will be able to communicate using English.

Everyone has many or little knowledge. English language has enabled people to co-exist

peacefully even in their diversity.

Also, English language is the language of government. Since the time of the colonialist,

English has been chosen as the language of colonization. since then, English has been used as

language of government, all the administrative activities has been made in English including

minutes, constitutions, directives and so on. English is a language that almost all can understand,

if any indigenous languages was chosen as language of government, the situation would be

worse than this. If an Hausa man is trying to express himself, only those that understand his
language will be able to relate and give feedbacks. English was chosen to ensure a successful

interaction among people that form the government.

In addition, English language is used in education. It is used to impact knowledge in

people. In all schools, English is made compulsory for all students. Education acquired through

the use of English is so good as it helps people to be able to connect successfully, it gives people

access to better job opportunities, higher productivity and improved standard of living. English is

also used in churches and mosque to teach the members and also improve communication. So we

can say English language is used as a means of teaching and learning in churches and mosques.

English language has influenced Literature greatly. Nigeria as a country is known to have

over 500 indigenous languages making it difficult to even think of writing in indigenous

languages. in Nigeria, there are three major languages; Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa, but it's still not

advisable to write in these languages because literature using indigenous languages can only

thrive if it's oral based. To reach wider audience, most writers use English language. English

language can even be domesticated to help an average man who is not so competent in the

Language.

English language has helped in the advancement of science and technology. We have

different terms in Medicine, law and so on that are English words. With the knowledge of the

language, the advancement has been a success even in Nigeria.

English language is also used in various media outlets. Media plays an important role in

the development of a country. English language is used in various media space to pass

information to the people about what is happening in the country and also the activities of the

government. In Nigeria, people are kept informed through print and electronic media and if this

is done in indigenous language, the information will not reach the target audience.
 In conclusion, it's safe to say English language has been a blessing than a curse in

Nigeria. it has served as a common language for communication, helped promote economic

development, promotion of national unity and provided knowledge and cultural resources. The

continued use of English will bring about continued growth in Nigeria.