Nigeria’s linguistic diversity is an unexplored asset constrained by policy failure

Nigeria stands at a defining moment in its nationhood. As a country of over 500 languages and more than 250 ethnic groups, Nigeria is a linguistic giant not only in Africa but in the world. Yet for decades, this extraordinary richness has been treated as an inconvenience and as a challenge rather than a strategic asset, sustained by outdated myths about identity, language, and the meaning of diversity. Today, those myths are constraining development. Outdated assumptions about language, ethnicity, and geography have