National Language Policy and the Search for National Integration in Nigeria

At the root of the dilemmas of national integration in Nigeria is the country's search for a lingua franca. No doubt, in a plural and deeply divided society like Nigeria, a national language is seen as unifying symbol. The thrust of this paper therefore is an in-depth analysis of the politics of using language as mechanism for national integration cum the accompanying problems. The paper also considers language mix on comparative basis. The paper however infers that rather than a fruitless search for a lingua franca, Nigeria will be better off if the dominant language in each zone of the country is developed and adopted as such.