Dr. Foluso Okebiorun, who is a United States–based language expert has called for the inclusion of Nigerian Pidgin English in the national school calendar, he emphasized that the language as a vital unifying force and cultural benefit that reflects the nation’s creativity and resilience.
The study was first submitted at the Society of Pidgin and Creole Languages Conference in the United States in 2022 and later produced in an academic volume in 2024.
Okebiorun, a former faculty member at Northshore Community College in Massachusetts and a former public school teacher in Lagos, made the statement in a recent study on Nigerian Pidgin usage.
She noted that even if the behavior toward Nigerian Pidgin differ, the language has become a form of communication across social classes and media platforms
She added, “Nigerian Pidgin is more than just a language; it is a societal symbol that unites Nigerians. It reflects our history, resilience, and creativity,” she argued.
Her investigation, which examined inscriptions on public transport vehicles in Nigeria, realized that Pidgin language were often preferred to those in other languages. These expressions, she noted, mostly convey “defiance, protest, aggression, experience, and advice,” demonstrating the expressive power and cultural depth of the language.
Okebiorun also emphasised that Nigerian Pidgin maintain proverbs, idioms, humour, and linguistic patterns characteristic of a fully developed language. She mentioned that incorporating it into schools would enrich learning, validate students’ lived experiences, and affirm the linguistic creativity born from the fusion of English and indigenous languages.
Highlighting the Pidgin’s potential, she noted that it can also be used to promote national unity, noting that in a multilingual nation with over 500 languages, it serves as a common lingua franca that transcends ethnic and regional divides.
“It is time for Nigeria to embrace its linguistic reality,” she said. “By incorporating Nigerian Pidgin into the school system, we can preserve our cultural identity, promote inclusivity, and foster mutual understanding among students from different regions.”
The scholar recommended that Nigerian Pidgin be taught as a subject in secondary schools and called for the development of a standardised orthography to ensure formal recognition and consistency in its use.
She further urged policymakers, educators, and parents to see Pidgin not as a threat to English proficiency but as a bridge to it—arguing that its deep borrowing from English vocabulary can create a more inclusive and comfortable learning environment.
To overcome challenges around teaching materials and standardisation, Okebiorun proposed collaboration between the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council, linguists, and researchers to produce textbooks, dictionaries, and teacher-training programmes.
