It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to NINLAN – the National Institute for Nigerian Languages, Aba, Abia State, Nigeria. As the Executive Director, I am honoured to be a part of this prestigious institution with a very strategic national mandate of developing Nigeria’s estimated 520 languages and making them powerful vehicles for mass literacy and education, advanced communication functions, homegrown scientific and technological revolution, cultural awakening and pride as well as national unity and cohesion. 

Our mission at NINLAN is to provide world-class education to our students and prepare them for successful careers in their respective fields as Nigerian language-focused teachers, translators, media and communication experts, researchers, tradesmen, and women. We believe in a holistic approach to learning that includes both theoretical knowledge and practical experience. We are building a rich tradition of academic excellence and innovation that will raise the profile of Nigerian languages and make Nigeria an African and global multilingual, multicultural, centrepiece.

I look forward with great expectation to the completion of the ongoing improvements in our website and e-learning capabilities. I look forward to the rolling out of various short and regular online language courses to service indigenous language-deprived Nigerians, including those in the diaspora, as well as non-Nigerians who are eager to acquire proficiency in various Nigerian languages. We are scaling up our language coverage. From a mere three, we now have nine: Igbo, Tiv, Ibibio, Yoruba, Hausa, Kanuri, Fulfulde, and Urhobo with dedicated staff domiciled on campus, with an off-campus capacity to cover another ten languages at short notice. Our goal is to cover up to a hundred languages by the end of my tenure.

I am confident that with hard work, dedication, and a commitment to excellence, our students will achieve great things and make a positive impact in their linguistic communities, their states, the country, and the world.

Once again, welcome to NINLAN, the Nigerian multilingual language Institute. Let’s make this academic year a memorable one.

Thank you. Ndeewo. Na gode. Ese.