The Nigerian Government has been urged to take Arabic as an alternative language of instruction in the country.

The Dean of Postgraduate School, Kwara State University, KWASU, Malete, Professor Hamzat Abdulraheem made the call in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital North Central Nigeria.

He recalled that Arabic was the official administrative and religious communication before the arrival of Europeans in Nigeria.

Professor Abdulraheem therefore advocates its reintroduction for the benefit of students who want to pursue their studies through the language.

Professor Abdulraheem expressed these views while answering questions from newsmen at the NUJ Press Center at the flag-off of activities lined up for the celebration of the 60th anniversary of Darul-Uloom, Isalekoto in Ilorin. He is a renowned Arabic and Islamic school under the guidance of the late Ilorin-born foremost Islamic scholar, Shaykh Adam Abdullahi Al-Ilory.

“Arabic in Nigeria before the advent of Europeans was the language of communication, administrative communication, and of course religious communication in addition to the fact that there is a particular portion of Nigeria that speaks Arabic as a mother tongue. You have Shua Arab in Borno State. Their mother tongue is Arabic even though it is colloquial.

“We are not saying that a House of Assembly or any agency should be speaking Arabic, what we have been talking about before is that since there are people who have insisted on continuing to learn Arabic, why can't we now take Arabic as an alternative language of instruction in Nigeria so that people who go to Arabic Schools will learn sciences, mathematics, chemistry, biology, physics.

“After all, it was the Arab who developed these knowledge areas for the West, and these subjects are being taught in Arabic in the Arab world today,” he said.

Abdulraheem, who is among the pioneer students of Darul-Uloom, however, pleaded with the Kwara State Government to take over the payment of salaries of teachers, depending on their qualifications.

He also called on the state government to contact some Arab countries to send teachers of science subjects in Arabic, which would make students diversify their areas of study when they have the opportunity to study in the Arab world.

Professor Abdulraheem, a former acting Provost of Kwara State College of Education, Ilorin, who addressed the conference alongside members of the alumni of the school, expressed gratitude to the state government for the support given to Arabic education and sought more support for the overall development of Arabic education in the state.

He said; “If the government will not be interested in taking over Arabic Schools or if taking over Arabic Schools may create some other problems, social, religious, and so on, there must be a way of assisting those schools because they too are contributing to the development of education in general, moral education in particular.”

“When you ask these people (Arabic teachers) teaching, you need to be there to know that the salaries they are earning are too meager, and you cannot even believe that anybody in Nigeria will be taking that kind of money as a salary.

“So, there is nothing wrong if the government decides that all Arabic Schools, these are the ways we want to intervene in assisting you. It may not be in the payment of salaries. It may be in the building of structures, supply of books and it may be in subvention,” Professor Abdulraheem said.

Among the programmes lined up for the 60th anniversary of the Arabic school are; special Friday prayers at the Ilorin Central Mosque, an award presentation under the chairmanship of the State Governor, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, and a special debate on the future of Arabic in Nigeria.