Don wants French language made compulsory for security operatives

A Professor of French Language Education, Carol Opara, says French language should be made compulsory in the training of security operatives to forestall aggression from French speaking countries.

Opara, also the Head, Department of Arts and Social Sciences Education, University of Lagos, said this while delivering the institution’s 8th inaugural lecture for the 2016/2017 academic session titled “Quest for Sub-Regional Integration; The French Language Education Factor”.

According to her, if Nigerian soldiers and other security personnel as well as detectives, can speak French, they will be able to alert the authorities when there are threats to invade the country.

“The issue of Boko Haram insurgence is a case in point. There is need to train our border officials too in French language to communicate effectively with trans- border traders and other travelers in order to enhance the implementation of the policy on free movement of goods, people and capital within the West African community”, she said.

She said this will manifest in increased trading activities and investors from other member states will be able to do business in all places within the sib-region.

According to her, language and indeed French language education has great potentials for achieving objectives of integration, especially in the West African sub-region.

“Being a major stakeholder in Africa, when it comes to the utilisation of the dividends of integration, Nigeria needs to sharpen her strategies to facilitate the process of integration.

“In order to harvest the huge benefits of integration, Nigeria must adopt French Language study as a compulsory subject, not only from Basic 4 to 9, but also to the university level. This may take a while, but the effort would be quite rewarding,” she said.

The don noted that there should be a periodic review of the curriculum in use in schools to endure compliance with the integrative curriculum that will correspond with the motivational purpose and language skills of the present day Nigerian youth.

In his closing remarks, Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Rahamon Bello, noted that the importance of language and French language cannot be over-emphasised, if indeed Nigeria would succeed in its quest for rapid national development and integration.

He noted that being bordered by French speaking countries, there is need for Nigeria to embrace and advocate French language to enhance easy integration and social interaction.