Multilingualism, Sociolinguistic Dynamics and Issues of Education in Nigeria: A Linguistic Analysis of Vagueness, Inexactness and Indeterminacy in the National Policy on Education (2013) Document

This paper is an analysis of the sociolinguistic dynamics that play out in the “default” multilingual configuration of Nigeria, and how this can be leveraged for overall national advancement. It is informed by Mackey's (1978) assertion, “Only before God and the linguist are all languages equal.” Advocating for the harnessing of the nation's rich linguistic repertoire, this research argues for a concerted effort towards developing and implementing a Language Policy and Planning (LPP) document which will address the question of “national language” as well as other marked challenges of linguistic pluralism, and ultimately reduce “policy ambiguities” randomly gleaned from other policy documents which do not necessarily have LPP as their primary focus.