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There are over 520 native languages spoken in Nigeria. [1] [2] [3] The official language is English, [4] [5] which was the language of Colonial Nigeria.The English-based creole Nigerian Pidgin – first used by the British and African slavers to facilitate the Atlantic slave trade in the late 17th century [6] – is the most common lingua franca, spoken by over 60 million people.
In central Nigeria, the Kanuri are usually referred to as Bare-Bari or Beriberi. [10] Central Kanuri, also known as Yerwa Kanuri, is the main language of the Kanuri people living in Borno State, Yobe State and Gombe State, and it is usually referred to as Kanuri in Nigeria. [citation needed]
Nigeria has one official language which is English, as a result of the British colonial rule over the nation. Nevertheless, it is not spoken as a first language in the entire country because other languages have been around for over a thousand years making them the major languages in terms of numbers of native speakers.
Ngas, or Angas, is an Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Plateau State, Nigeria. The language has two dialects: Hill Angas and Plain Angas. [1] Ngas is one of the major languages in Plateau State. The 1952 census puts it as the largest ethnic group in Plateau State. Retired General Yakubu Gowon is a prominent Nigerian who is of Ngas ethnicity.
Nigerian Pidgin is most widely spoken in the oil state Niger Delta where most of its population speak it as their first language. [10] There are accounts of pidgin being spoken first in colonial Nigeria before being adopted by other countries along the West African coast. [11]
Nigeria is a multinational state inhabited by more than 250 ethnic groups speaking 500 distinct languages, all identifying with a wide variety of cultures. [ 13 ] [ 14 ] [ 15 ] The three largest ethnic groups are the Hausa in the north , Yoruba in the west , and Igbo in the east , together constituting over 60% of the total population. [ 16 ]
The Gbagyi or Gbari (plural - Agbagyi/Agbari) [1] are an ethnic group found predominantly in Central Nigeria with an estimated population of 12 million spread in four states, including Abuja, and located in thirty local government areas. [2] It is also the name of their language. Members of this ethnic group speak two dialects.
[1] [a] Nigeria is home to 371 ethnic groups speaking over 500 languages [1] and the variety of customs and traditions among them gives the country great cultural diversity. Three largest ethnic groups, namely the Hausa , Yorubas , and Igbos constitute more than 60% of the population.