Officers who attain certified proficiency will be paid a language allowance.
The Nigerian Army
has implemented a new language policy that demands all soldiers to be
proficient in the country's three major ethnic languages before 2019,
although the English language remains its official language.
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| A team of Nigerian soldiers. (Punch) |
According to a statement signed by Army spokesperson, Brigadier General Sani Usman,
on Wednesday, November 22, 2017, the new policy is part of measures to
foster better relationships between soldiers and with civilians.
Officers
who attain certified proficiency in Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba will be paid
a language allowance and will gain an added advantage when applying for
recruitment or commissioning into the Nigerian Army.
The statement read, "The
Nigerian Army has introduced a new Language Policy. The study of
foreign and local languages is worldwide practice among armies, in which
officers and soldiers are encouraged to be multi-lingual.
"The
Policy will foster esprit-de-corps and better communication with the
populace to enhance information gathering, civil-military relations,
increase understanding between militaries when operating abroad and
assist officers and soldiers to perform their duties professionally.
"It
is to be noted that English remains the official language in the
Nigerian Army. Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa languages could be used during
Civil Military Cooperation activities or interrogation.
"Therefore
all Nigerian Army personnel have been given one year to learn the three
major Nigerian languages. Invariably, by December 2018, all Nigerian
Army personnel are expected to learn the three major Nigerian languages.
"The standard of proficiency to be attained is the basic level. Certificated proficiency level will attract Language Allowance.
"The
ability to speak the 3 major Nigerian languages will be an added
advantage to those applying for recruitment or commissioning into the
Nigerian Army.
"Therefore, prospective candidates are encouraged to learn Nigerian languages other than their mother tongues.
"Before
now, the Nigerian Army officially encouraged the learning of French,
Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese and Swahili. French language is an assessed
subject in some career courses and examinations for Nigerian Army
personnel."
The new policy could be part of a raft of changes agreed upon when President Muhammadu Buhari reconvened and inaugurated the Armed Forces Council on Thursday, November 9.
During
his meeting with the council, the president ratified the National
Defence Policy 2017 (Revised); Harmonised Terms and Conditions of
Service Officers 2017, and also inaugurated the Harmonised Terms and
Condition of Service for Soldiers/Rating/Airmen (Revised), among others.