Relevance of Arabic language to National Development in Nigeria

Abstract

The thrust of this  paper  is to examine the  significance  of  Arabic language  to  national  development. It is apparently clear that Arabic language is an important instrument of human development. No nation can develop economically, socially, politically, morally without paying particular attention to its education.  The study  explore  the  significance  of  Arabic  in  Nigeria  from  historical,  social,  religious  and  economic factors. Problems confronting the teaching and learning of Arabic language in Nigeria were briefly pointed out. Finally the paper suggests some useful recommendations in order to address those challenges.

Keywords: Arabic Language and National Development.

Introduction

 Arabic assumes an important position as one of reputable major languages of the world. It is a language spoken in a broad belt extending from the Arabian Peninsula on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the official and home language of over two hundred million people in the entire Arab world, as well as the language of other one hundred and fourty million people in some non Arab countries. On the African continent, Arabic is natively spoken and officially used in ten countries, namely, Egypt, Algeria, Libya, Sudan, Tunisia, Morocco, Mauritania, Somalia, Djibouti, and Chad. it is the official and the mother tongue in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirate, Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Jordan and Yemen. Even it has an official status in Israel.

            As the home language, Arabic is spoken in Ethiopia, Mali, Nigeria (Shuwa Arabs), Niger,

Turkey, Iran and Afghanistan. Besides, the language is the sole tongue utilized by twenty-four non-Arab Muslim countries with a population of about one billion people as a vital spiritual component of daily life. It is also an important immigrant language in France, the United States, and Canada. Interestingly, the consequential, indispensable roles of this language in continental and international politics, economies and financial activities have made it one of the official languages of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), and the United Nations Organization (UNO). Thus, Arabic studies is witnessing a tremendous influx of European and American learners owing to its great benefits to students of International business, Political science, International law, and the humanities. Ancient archaeology and monuments such as the pyramids, sphinx and other sites in Egypt and other Arab countries as well as a vast body of literature adds to the significance of Arabic.

  

Conceptual discourse and clarification

The concept of Arabic language

Dabo (2001) in Akaito and Dowyaro (2007) defined language as “a method, of means, a system of sharing of ideas, thought, feelings, experiences, etc using sound, signs or symbols. Minimum Standards for Nigeria Certificate in Education (2002) observes that “modern man can hardly contemplate communal life without the instrument of language. Performance, especially spoken language, defines personality. For the teacher, his credibility is almost entirely anchored on his competence in communicating ideas and stimulating learning through his use of language. Articulate and well-spoken teachers also invariably win the hearts and respect of their students and pupils.

Arabic according to Yaqub, 2005: Onisabi and Adamu, 2007 is the language of Arabs. It belongs to Semitic group of languages, other living languages of this group are modern Hebrew, Amharic and other spoken languages of Ethiopia. Arabic is the second largest most widely used alphabetic writing system in the world (the Latin alphabet is the most widespread). The Arabic script has been adapted to such diverse languages,Persian, Turkish, Spanish and Swahili (Seriki, 2004).

             Today Arabic is a universally recognized language occupying a position, which is not less in status and rank than such International Language as English, French or Germany. It has long been adopted by African Union (AU), Oil Producing &Exporting Countries (OPEC), United Nations (UN). Arabic also is official language of Non- Aligned Movement (NAM), Confederation of African Football (CAF), Federation of International Football Association (FIFA), Amuni (2004) and other Internationally recognized Organizations as a tool for political & other diplomatic transactions. It is studied and accorded high status like others in the world.

National development

The dual concepts of national development can only be understood fully if the meaning of development is provided. Development can be viewed as complete positive change at the micro(individual) level and macro (society) level. The changes often involved social, political and economic wellbeing. In that line Sen 1993 cited in Akpotor (2012:184) view development as:

                                    Improvement of people’s living standard in income and

                                    consumption level of food, medical services, education

                                    etc.    through   relevant   economic growth processes,

                                    creation of conditions for the growth of people’s self

                                    esteem through the establishment of social, political and

                                    economic system and institution which promotes human

                                    dignity and respect, increasing people’s freedom of choice

                                    available.

Going by these criteria, it is quiet difficult to conclude on whether Nigeria is a developing nation or has even  taken the part to development in the first instance. Karofi (2012) is of the point that if a nation is to attain sustainable development then, individual and institutions in the society should not have the fear of crimes nor should there presence of insecurity for both the institutions and members within that society. We can, therefore, conclude that in the presences of poverty, unemployment, youth restiveness and rise in violent crimes, one can’t talk of national development. 

The Role of Arabic Language in National Development

The role of Arabic language in building a nation of our dream cannot be over-emphasized. The term ‘development’ means different things to different people. Therefore, there have been divergent opinions between the economists and social scientists as to what constitutes development. The emphasis that is laid on what constitutes development to Economists is not the same with that of Agriculturalists. For instance, Economists lay much emphasis on increase in per capital income, while Agriculturalists accept increase in agricultural output for measuring development5. In the context of this work, we adopt the definition given by W. Rodney as quoted by M. S. Bawa that: Development in any human society is a multi-dimensional process having radial implications not only on the economic, but also on the political, socio-cultural and administrative aspects of society. Based on this assertion, we would examine the possible areas in which Arabic language can contribute to Nigerian development.

• Religion: Religion can be defined from numerous perspectives. According to G. O. Abe, it may be viewed from philosophical, cosmological, ontological, anthropological, sociological, political, ethical, scientific, physiological, psychological and archaeological perspectives. A more general definition of religion spreads over the concepts of system of faith, belief, worship and practice, which make dynamic impact on the control of human life. Religion is derived from the word religio, which means ‘to bind’. It is that which binds man to the truth.

 Moreover, a cursory look at the history of human civilization will show that religion has been the supreme force in the development of mankind to its present condition. The moral and ethical development of man to his present state, if due to any one cause, is due to religion because true and lofty morals are inspired only by faith in God. Love, concord, sympathy and kindness to one’s fellow-man have been the message of every religion. Islam, being a complete way of life, affirms Allah’s sovereignty over the entire man’s life. Its teachings cover all fields of human activity, spiritual and material, individual and social, educational and cultural, economic and political, national and international. In other words, religion as perfected by Islam laid the basis for the unification of humanity. Therefore, the religion, when approached from the Islamic perspective, can bring true happiness to the human race. Since Arabic is the religious language of Islam, early introduction of the Muslim children to the Arabic education helps them to understand the tenets of Islam and the words of the Qur’an as exemplified by Prophet Muhammad.

Arabic language establishes the fear of God in the minds of the pupils because the courses taught in it help the pupils to have respect for their elders, teachers, parents and Allah. It also helps the learners to develop good moral and ethical behaviour in the society. When members of the society imbibe good morals and translate them into positive societal norms, it greatly helps in bringing about the much desired development of a nation. In a nutshell, Arabic in conjunction with Islam has played this moral role in the past effectively and can still do the same if given the needed encouragement.

• Education: Education is said to be coined out of two Latin words, educere which means ‘to nourish’, ‘to raise’, ‘to bring out’, and educare which means ‘to draw out’, ‘to lead out’. Education is seen by S. Adesina as a tool for the integration of the individual effectively into a society so that the individual can achieve self-realization, develop national consciousness, promote unity and strive for social, economic, political, scientific, cultural and technological process.

Education as a social service is the responsibility of the Government which must not be shirked under any guise. It should constitute the standard upon which a Government may be assessed. Educational development is imperative and urgent. It must not only be treated as a national emergency, second only to war, but must also move with the momentum of a revolution. However, the individual being educated develops physically, mentally, emotionally, morally and socially.

Arabic as the medium of formal education in the Northern Nigeria had played the above mentioned role effectively before the introduction of English. Though Arabic scholars have emphasized the need for an improved method of teaching Arabic, it can still be argued that Northern Nigeria would have reached what Arabized North African countries attained in their educational development, if it had been allowed to continue with Arabic medium in her educational pursuit. The average Nigerian Muslims, both in the South and the North, even till today prefer acquisition of Arabic language to English. This is the reason why Arabic schools have continued to spring up and compete favourably with the English ones in terms of encouragement from parents and pupil’s enrolment. In a nutshell, Arabic language served as the first non-native language that brought its educational as well as its rich culture to Nigeria. The coming of Islam to this part of globe brought with it literacy and technology of writing. Nigerians use Arabic in writing their languages. With the help of Arabic characters, they were able to express their mother tongues, read and write in Arabic with ease and this has put them in a kind of intellectual tradition.

• Socio-Psychology: Arabs were known to have reached a high level in the use of Arabic language as an art before the advent of Islam. In other words, Arabic, as a language, has highly developed literature which is evident in the life of the Arabs, right from the pre-Islamic era to the present day. At all levels of Arabic education, the students learn many Arabic poetic verses that teach social norms such as self-reliance, sincerity, bravery and generosity, among others.

Therefore, the learners of Arabic cannot avoid being influenced by the culture, sociology and psychology portrayed in such literature. Arabic had been used to write many works ranging from Acts of Worship, Islamic Jurisprudence, Health Education and Ethics to Sociology, Economic, Public Administration and Political Science. Such works were also taught at schools and discussed at public gathering specially organized for the enlightenment of the masses, male and female.

• Economy: Arabic had also been the language of commerce for centuries. As mentioned earlier, there was commercial link between North Africa and West Africa before the advent of Islam in West Africa. This explains why the historical development of Arabic language was tied to the commercial activities. Moreover, there is a strong commercial link between Nigeria and Arab countries in Asia and Africa. Since Nigerian citizens transact business in Egypt, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, among others, the knowledge of Arabic and ability to speak Arabic will assist in boosting Nigerian economy.

The introduction of Arabic in Nigeria also creates a situation of positive economic life because it guaranteed a good source of income for indigenous Arabic scholars. They became employers by establishing Arabic schools and employed Arabic specialists, thereby reducing the rate of unemployment in the country. Also, Nigeria is a strong member of Organization of Oil Exporting Countries (OPEC) – an Organization established to ensure the stability of the price of the petroleum in the international market. As many of the most influential member nations are Arab countries, Arabic language will create opportunities to enter into agreement with them and there will be better interaction between us.

• Diplomatic Relationship: Diplomacy can be defined as practices and institutions by which nations conduct their relations with one another. It means that countries all over the world move closer to one another for many benefits such as economic, political, scientific or technological gains. Since Nigeria has diplomatic relations with some Arab countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Syria, Libya, Egypt and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, among others, she, therefore, needs Arabic scholars to ensure mutual understanding and exchanging of ideas between them.

Besides, Arabic is one of the official languages of the United Nations Organization (UNO) of which Nigeria is a member, others being English, French, Italian and Russian. It also constitutes the strength behind the solidarity and harmony found among the members of African Union (AU) because it is one of its three official working languages alongside with French and English.

• Security: Security, according to ‘Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary’, means safety, freedom from danger or anxiety. Security is sometimes as the whole range of measures affecting the economic and social welfare of a population, as well as protection against internal or external aggressions. In the world today, the security of nations, societies and individuals is of great concern to all, as criminals have resulted to modern scientific methods in executing their crimes against humanity.

It has been established that there are many Arabic scholars, using Arabic as their medium of expression in Nigeria today, the Governments at all levels should, therefore, take the security of their citizens serious by encouraging the learning of Arabic to help them in the security services. The Governments should employ Arabic scholars to assist in the security of Nigeria. They will be able to report any issue of security interest from Arabic schools or gathering where Arabic is the medium of expression to the Governments.

Arabic Language and Education in Nigeria

Going by the history of education in Nigeria, before the advent of Christian missionaries, Arabic had been in the main stream of literary development. it had also been used as the language of administration in the Northern part of Nigeria.

Historically, according to Ayuba (2012), Arabic is the oldest foreign language in Nigeria today. The reason is that its entry into the country is dated back to the seventh century of the Christian era and the first century of Hijirah calendar. Centuries before the advent of the Europeans in Nigeria, Arabic had been used for religious, social and cultural purposes. In recognition of its significance, Arabic has been introduced into the Nigerian education curriculum as an academic discipline; even if its institutionalization started in the mosque everywhere Islam established, Nigeria inclusive.

            The analysis made by a former Governor of Kano State, Mallam Shekarau as stated by Yusuf (2008) is an attempt to address the imbalance of education between the North and South and to wash away costly insult passed on the people of North, and the backwardness attributed to Arabic and Islamic Studies. He was reported to have said:

Western education has only existed in the country for 100 years.

Quranic system of education has been in existence in the north

600 years. What this meant is that the North and part of South

( Yoruba land) had long known education before the introduction

of the Western education system, and with many Northerners

having received Quranic education; it would therefore be erroneous

to say the North is lagging behind educationally.

 The analysis made by Mallam Shekarau indicates that to be literate is not all about the acquisition of Western education; and it would be wrong for anyone to use the Western education system to measure literacy in Nigeria especially in the North and South.

Busari (2002) emphasizes that Arabic language is represented by the Qur’an in the early centuries of Islam. At the time, there were developments in Arabic grammar, lexicography, phonetics and history, which stemmed directly from religion and aesthetic appreciation. It should be noted that in modern time the importance of Arabic as a language transcends the religious sphere as universal character in the 9th and 10th centuries which was accompanied by an enormous literacy output.

Also, Yusuf (2008) maintained that the authentic history of Nigeria has been seen to be drawn from abundant Arabic historical documents at our disposal. He declares:

It is through their work on the enormous of Arabic materials

in Archives and libraries both public and private, that we .

shall be able to put together a coherent picture of Northern

It is pertinent to mention that acquisition of Arabic education makes one a literate since it achieves those educational goals irrespective of the curriculum, methods and organization designed for the purpose. Fafunwa (1974) declares that education is the aggregate of all the processes by which a child or young adult develops the abilities, attitudes and other forms of behavior which are of positive value to the society in which he lives. In other words, it  is a process of transmitting culture in terms of continuity and growth and for disseminating knowledge either to ensure social control or to guarantee rational direction of the society or both.

As a language brought along by Islamic religion, Arabic has great influence on African education. The documented materials on knowledge like history, science, mathematics, literature, and so on were documented with Arabic language before the advent of colonial rule. These were done through the spread of Islam and Islamic education. Fafunwa & Aisiku (1982) say “wherever Islam has spread rudimentary knowledge of the Qur’an, the Hadith and the Shariah are still taught to its followers. He buttressed this with a tradition of Prophet  Muhammad (S.A.W) that says: the best man among you is one who learns Qur’an and then cares to teach it”

Difficulties facing the teaching and learning Arabic language in Nigeria                           

Ta‘līm which means imparting knowledge is the Arabic word for teaching. Other words that are synonymous with Ta‘līm are Ta’dīb, Tadrīs and Tarbiyyah. According to the Qur’an, the art of teaching was first undertaken by Allah when He taught Prophet Adam (A.S) about his environment Qur’an 2: 31 tells us that Adam was taught the names of all things. As Allah did to Adam, He also taught Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) (Q. 96: 3-5). Other Prophets, such as Ibrahim, Nuh, Musa and ‘Isa (A.S) were also taught by Allah.  It is, thus, known who the first teacher was. According to M. A. Bidmus, teaching can be defined as the process of equipping the learner with the right knowledge and skills. Moreover, teaching is both basic and sacred. It is basic in the sense that the knowledge acquired by the aid of teaching would assist the learner towards selection of the right behaviour in the society. The sacredness of teaching derives from the fact that it was first administered by Allah with the aim of guiding His creatures aright and was later administered by His Prophets and messengers. In other words, knowledge is of two main kinds – religious and secular. In Islam, both are compulsory for a Muslim to acquire in that without one, the other cannot be enjoyed. Arabic language especially in the Southern Nigeria faces a lot of difficulties because it has a rival educational system – Western Oriented Education – which enjoys a large amount of Government support. Some of them are:

Lackadaisical Attitudes of the Government

Despite the fact that the Federal and the State Governments are quite aware of the historical relevance of Arabic to national development, the various arms of Government in Nigeria have not done much to develop it. This arises from non-removing the misconceived religious stigma attached to the language – as the language of Islam. As a result of this, they do little or nothing to enhance the teaching and learning of Arabic language in terms of moral and financial supports as they do to English and French. In other words, whatever recognition that is given to Arabic in Nigeria is often tied to its role in Islamic religion at all levels of education.

Consequently, Arabic has not enjoyed the same degree of Government or institutional respect given to English or even French. There is a dearth of teachers in Primary, Secondary and Tertiary institutions in many parts of the country especially in the South, because the Governments did not employ teachers to handle Arabic. Some schools do not have any teacher, while some have only one. This has been a lamentable one for long.

Society’s Poor Attitude

People look down on the Arabic specialists because our society is dominated by western values. This is the reason why pupils are not given adequate encouragement and support to study Arabic. Some parents believe that the study of Arabic language does not lead beyond conducting naming, wedding, burial and house warming ceremonies. They do not know that there are many Doctors and Professors of Arabic language and literature. Even some Arabic language teachers behave as if they had studied Arabic out of frustration. They maintain poor attitude towards the future career of Arabic language by believing that the only available career for it is teaching. Therefore, dedication of such teachers towards the advancement of the subject or course is regrettable. They forget that the knowledge they acquire at the Higher Institution of learning is meant to prepare them for national development. The higher education provides an objective view of human capacity to bring about positive change in an individual that will enhance productivity that the society needs.

Inadequacy of Instructional Materials

Another major difficulty facing the teaching and learning of Arabic language in Nigeria is the issue of instructional materials. The non-challant attitude of our Governments and teachers to provide these materials for effective teaching and learning of Arabic language has adverse effect on the subject. The materials such as pictures, real objects and sketches, among others are very important in teaching the meaning of some words like cup, football, banana and so forth. Tape recorders, videotapes and language laboratory are also helpful in supporting the teacher’s oral instruction in Arabic pronunciation.  Lack of suitable textbooks also contributes hindrance to teaching and learning of Arabic language in Nigeria. In other words, very good textbooks are needed in learning process to facilitate quick understanding of the Arabic language because they are links between the teacher and his teaching. This is the reason why the teacher has to make the right choice and use of textbooks. Textbooks must have bearings, to a large extent, to the background and culture of learners, if they are to mean anything to them. Although, Arabic scholars have taken up this challenge of inadequacy of suitable textbooks, but the cost is on the high side and not easily available in the market as there are few Arabic and Islamic bookshops in the country especially in the South.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is clear from the data above that Arabic language is a very significant language for national development.. From the historical, economic, social and political points of view, Arabic has been serving very significant role in accelerating its development process in Nigeria . It is clear from the facts mentioned by the writer that the language receives less attention by the government policy. Hence many significant roles of the Language have been ignored.

Recommendations

In view of the above the writer wishes to give the following recommendation.

1.      Government should invite Arabic professional bodies in making policy decisions on Education and language policy.

2.      Arabic professionals in the Universities and Colleges of higher learning should be included in making decisions on education and language policy.

3.      There should be improvement on the learning materials. The textbook to be used in Arabic schools should be uniform and should be written by Nigerians because the textbooks being used now by many Arabic schools or institutions are imported from Arab countries e.g. An-Nahwul Wadhih, Al-Balaaghatul-Wadhihah, Al-Mufassal fil Adabil Arabiy, Al-Muntakhab fil Adabil Arabiy to mention but few, are all imported textbooks which were mostly developed and might have been dropped by these Arab countries. The exercises contained in these books are mostly suitable only for the Arab societies. Some nouns contained therein can only be understood by the students living in the Arab environment.

4.      The Arabic  specialist  should know  that the knowledge they acquire at the Higher Institution of learning is meant to prepare them for national development. The higher education provides an objective view of human capacity to bring about positive change in an individual that will enhance productivity that the society needs. Because functionally, all courses contribute the same functions to the development of society.

5.      There should be enough qualified printing press in Nigeria to handle Arabic printing. Those existing are few.

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