A Professor of Linguistics at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Christine Iyetunde Ofulue, has declared Nigerian Pidgin (Naija) a growing global language, citing its increasing use and widespread influence across borders.
Delivering NOUN’s 35th inaugural lecture in Abuja, titled “Reclaiming Marginalised Voices: Intersections of Diversity and Educational Spaces”, Professor Ofulue highlighted the rise of Nigerian Pidgin as a powerful communication tool and cultural symbol.
According to her, the language is now spoken by an estimated 100 to 120 million people, making it the 14th most spoken language in the world.
She noted that among 76 documented global pidgins and creoles, Nigerian Pidgin stands out for both its reach and impact.
Ofulue explained that what began as a colonial-era trade language has evolved into a national lingua franca, uniting diverse groups across Nigeria and serving as a medium for everyday conversation, artistic expression, and social cohesion.
“Nigerian Pidgin is a testament to our resilience. It reflects how ordinary Nigerians connect, share stories, and create identity beyond official structures,” she said.
Highlighting Nigeria’s unique linguistic landscape, she described it as Africa’s most linguistically diverse nation, with about 540 languages spanning three major language families, Afro-Asiatic, Nilo-Saharan, and Niger-Congo, spoken by over 223 million people.
“In Nigeria, multilingualism isn’t rare, it’s a way of life,” she added. “People switch seamlessly between local, regional, and national languages.”
However, Ofulue raised concerns over the marginalisation of minority languages, noting that many face extinction due to policy neglect, lack of intergenerational transmission, and the dominance of English in formal domains.
She emphasized that despite its popularity, Nigerian Pidgin remains largely excluded from official and educational platforms, calling for deliberate efforts to promote its inclusion and that of other underrepresented languages.
Some Nigerian Pidgin words already recognized by the Oxford English Dictionary include eba, japa, abi, suya, danfo, okada, Yahoo boy, and area boy.
On reclaiming marginalised voices, Ofulue recommended curriculum reforms, inclusive teaching methods, and technological innovations that embrace indigenous languages as valuable assets rather than outdated traditions.
She also advocated for the digitisation of indigenous knowledge, creation of technical glossaries, and development of multimedia content in native languages to enhance learning and representation in digital spaces.
In his closing remarks, NOUN Vice-Chancellor, Professor Olufemi Peters, praised Ofulue’s lecture, humorously switching to pidgin himself to applaud her insights, a move that earned him enthusiastic cheers from the audience.
