Judul : Nigerian Languages in the Digital Age
link : Nigerian Languages in the Digital Age
Nigerian Languages in the Digital Age
By: Olasubomi Sangonuga
NIGERIA is a nation filled with diverse voices, but many of these are being suppressed in the digital era. As the global community advances with artificial intelligence, voice recognition, and smart applications, hundreds of Nigerian languages remain overlooked online. What we stand to lose goes beyond mere words—it includes cultural identity, access to resources, and future opportunities. With over 520 distinct languages, Nigeria ranks third in the world for the number of spoken languages. Four of these—Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, and Ijaw—are spoken by approximately 78 percent of the population (Central Intelligence Agency, 2019). Still, most Nigerian languages are missing from the technologies that shape the lives of Generation Z and Generation Alpha, the generations that represent tomorrow. UNESCO cautions that around 40 percent of the world's 7,000 languages could vanish by 2025, with African and indigenous languages facing greater risks. Nigeria is not exempt from this threat. Over a hundred Nigerian languages are already classified as endangered or nearing extinction.
Technology highlights the critical need for attention. In the field of Natural Language Processing (NLP), which supports translation applications, voice assistants, and speech recognition systems, Nigerian languages are considered low-resource. This indicates that there is insufficient digital text or audio content for artificial intelligence to learn from. If no steps are taken, entire languages could become digitally overlooked. The Nigerian government lacks a formal strategy to protect or enhance native languages, particularly within technology and research domains. Many languages do not have fundamental resources like text databases, which are crucial for NLP. Smaller languages such as Ibibio, Ijaw, and Kanuri, spoken by less than 10 million individuals each, have minimal or no online presence. Even the so-called major three languages (Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba) face challenges with limited and substandard resources.
On the other hand, South Africa illustrates what can be accomplished through intentional policy. Eleven out of its 25 languages have official status, and government-supported Human Language Technology initiatives have created extensive language resources that now support NLP research. As a result, South African languages have improved digital presence and are being integrated into daily tools. Globally, artificial intelligence is already helping millions learn languages that were once seen as rare, such as Navajo or Vietnamese. Applications exist for Yoruba, Hausa, and Igbo, yet hundreds of Nigerian languages are still left out. The message is clear: with appropriate investment and documentation, Nigerian languages can flourish digitally, just like smaller languages in other regions have. The potential impact is revolutionary. Picture rural communities using their phones to ask questions and get responses in their native language. Patients could explain symptoms in their mother tongue and have doctors understand them via smart apps. Traders could sell online using local languages, connecting with more customers. A grandmother could instruct Siri to call her grandchild without needing English. Visually impaired Nigerians could use their devices in the language they grew up speaking.
Global tech companies are taking small steps forward. By the end of 2024, Google extended voice input and speech-to-text capabilities to Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba across Gboard, Voice Search, and Translate. Microsoft had previously incorporated these three languages into Azure Translator. However, the level of resources available for these languages is still significantly less compared to English, Chinese, or even Swahili. Meanwhile, Nigeria's education policy is heading in the wrong direction. Recently, the federal minister of education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, announced that Mandarin will be included in the secondary school curriculum starting from the 2025/26 academic year. At the same time, Nigerian languages in schools were reduced to only Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba. Hundreds of other languages were excluded, with no policy or financial support to aid their development or digital presence.
The issue runs deeper. The Nigerian Constitution has never been officially translated into local languages, with only a single private Yoruba translation available. Government websites are still entirely in English. Community-based initiatives such as Masakhane and NaijaVoices are striving to create data sets, but their efforts are very small in comparison to the overall demand. China offers another example. With more than 290 languages and 55 recognized ethnic minority groups, China has not forsaken its linguistic diversity. Mandarin has served as the unifying language since the 1950s, yet minority languages like Tibetan, Uighur, Mongolian, and Zhuang continue to flourish through state-supported education, media, and digital projects. Local scripts have been included in Unicode, television stations broadcast in native languages, and cultural institutions receive funding to document and preserve these languages. The Chinese government acknowledges that language is not merely culture; it is also sovereignty.
Nigeria should adopt a similar approach. Allocating resources to Mandarin while overlooking its own linguistic heritage conveys an incorrect message. In the digital age, the survival of languages depends on their presence in code. If Nigerian languages are not included in keyboards, spell checkers, translation systems, and voice recognition tools, they risk disappearing. What Nigeria requires is a focused digital language plan. This plan must extend beyond the three main languages and include endangered and minority ones. It should support initiatives that develop dictionaries, lexicons, and extensive text and audio collections. It should engage universities, scholars, and local communities to create materials that global tech companies can expand. Importantly, it should view languages as infrastructure, serving as entry points for citizens to access healthcare, education, business, and culture.
Languages are not optional. They serve as connections to involvement in the contemporary world. Allowing them to vanish means cutting off millions from chances. With foresight and funding, Nigeria can convert its rich linguistic legacy into a digital resource that enhances governance, encourages creativity, and maintains cultural identity. The moment to take action is now. Decision-makers need to emphasize native languages in technology and education. Scholars and businesspeople should work together to create open-access materials. International tech companies must be encouraged to support more Nigerian languages. And people should push for a future where their native languages are not only spoken but also integrated into modern life. If we don't act, Nigeria may lose its voices to silence. But if we do, these voices can resonate into the digital era, bringing along the knowledge, culture, and identity of many generations. The decision lies with us.
• Sangonuga, a student journalist passionate about narrative and current social matters, contributes from Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State.
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