By Henry Oladele
A Professor of Arabic Language Education, Morufudeen Shittu, has called for establishment of dedicated Arabic research centres in Nigeria.
Shittu is also the Deputy Vice-Chancellor ((Administration), Lagos State University of Education (LASUED).
He made the call while delivering LASUED’s Second Inaugural Lecture Series, on Tuesday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the lecture was entitled, ‘Synthesising Convention and Modernity for a Prosperous Future: My Intellectual Footprint to Reinvigorate Arabic Studies in Nigeria’.
“A concerted effort must be made to lobby education policymakers for increased funding and establishment of dedicated Arabic research centres.
“This is by engaging with the Nigerian Arabic Language Village, and the Nigerian Academy of Letters could amplify advocacy efforts,” he said.
He also urged public engagements and workshops that would showcase non-religious applications of Arabic Language.
“Organising public lectures, media appearances and career workshops that showcase the non-religious applications of Arabic could reshape public perception.”
He called for curriculum reform and modernisation.
“This curriculum reform is to integrate applied linguistics, Arabic for media, and digital tools into teaching Arabic Language to integrate contemporary linguistic approaches.
“Also, introduction of courses in Arabic media, translation technology and Middle Eastern politics could broaden the discipline’s appeal and applicability,” he said.
Shittu also advocated strategic partnerships with universities in Malaysia, Indonesia, Egypt and Saudi Arabia for exchange programmes.
He described Arabic as one of the most enduring and structurally complex semantic languages in the world.
He said that the significance of Arabic was not only rooted in its historical and cultural heritage but also in its contemporary relevance, particularly in the digital age.
“The language’s sophisticated morphological and syntactic features have made it a central component in the development of the Semantic Web and other digital language technologies,” he said.
Shittu added that with over 300 million native speakers, Arabic remained the official language of 26 countries across two continents.
“Beyond its regional prominence, Arabic holds global importance as one of the six official languages of the United Nations.
“It is also the liturgical language of Islam, being the medium of the Qu’ran, which has elevated its spiritual and scholarly status among over 1.8 billion Muslims worldwide,” he said.
The don added that historically, Arabic had a profound influence on the intellectual and educational landscapes of West Africa.
“Long before the advent of European colonialism, Arabic served as a medium of instruction, religious scholarship and legal administration throughout most parts of the region,” he said.
Shittu said that the evolution of Arabic Language in Nigeria could be traced to early trans-Saharan trade routes.
“Arabic gained prominence not merely as a liturgical language, but also as a medium for education, administration and diplomacy, particularly in northern Nigeria.
“The transmission was facilitated largely by Arab traders and Islamic scholars who journeyed through established trade corridors and pilgrimage routes, introducing Arabic literacy and Islamic knowledge to local populations.” (NAN)
Edited by Ijeoma Popoola
