I believe it is accurate to state that a significant proportion of Nigerians have a propensity to assume that foreign means superior and even trendy. Of course, this is totally baseless and erroneous.
Unfortunately, this notion has insidiously crept into the fabric of our families and society and is wrecking untold damage. There is the long standing issue of bearing European, particularly English names. Obviously, everyone has a profoundly distinct right to christen their child whatever name they please! This is true and I absolutely agree.

However, I generally prefer indigenous names and I am immensely grateful to have been christened Yoruba names. I love this because I fully understand what
the names mean and I always wonder?, I am yet to meet a British man or woman who bears a Yoruba name, so why should I bear a British name? Of course, this is my personal opinion and when it comes to debates such as this, it is totally unreasonable, even foolish to attempt to be an absolutist. Although, there is some research evidence indicating that giving a child foreign names has great potential to
distort such child’s sense of identity and heritage which inadvertently can contribute to identity crisis.

I choose not to analyse this angle since the evidence is not overwhelming and I do not even feel strongly about this. Name your child what you please, it’s totally up to you.
However, the orientation that a child should not speak his or her native language is extremely dangerous and destructive. Psycholinguists have proven that inability to speak the first language can inhibit cognitive and academic development and even retard social behavioural skills. Also, we now know that if a child has a good grasp of his or her mother tongue, such a child is better equipped to learn or acquire a second (more developed, dominant public language). In spite of the overwhelming
evidence in this regard, many parents continue to discourage vernacular in their homes. What this achieves is the distortion of the child’s fundamental conceptualization of his (or her) identity and cultural heritage. You unwittingly and tragically rob such child of vital language learning skills and deprive him or her of enriching experiences.

I have met adults who associate Yoruba with ‘Primitive’. I have also observed that there is a disturbing unwillingness to speak Yoruba even in unofficial surroundings. I have found myself in rather amusing situations where I speak Yoruba to people whom I am fully aware understand Yoruba, but with a smirk of disapproval on their faces, respond to me in English. I speak Yoruba and English and consider this an advantage. Delightedly, research has proven that this indeed is a plus. It is thus,
expedient to call on all those people who have no valid reasons to dissociate themselves from their native languages but do so with glee at every opportunity, to reconsider henceforth.

Interestingly, these indigenous strangers some of whom proudly proclaim their inability to understand and communicate in their mother tongue (particularly the younger generation), speak Pidgin English.

Effectively, what this means is that, for whatever reasons, many people would rather not communicate using standard languages such as Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa or even English, but would rather use a creole, which is understandably regarded as a rotten or gutter version of English language. Pidgin English, which is widely adopted by many Nigerians as a medium of communication is some sort of impure, contingency language. It is indeed true that in a multilingual society such as ours, Pidgin-English does have its benefits. It aids communication amongst members of the society from varying backgrounds who do not speak the same language. This has enhanced business, tourism and other socio-cultural interactions amongst members of the various parts of the country.

However, regardless of ethnic inclinations and similarities, people seem to have a penchant for communicating in Pidgin English. On University campuses, where the medium of teaching is English, the typical language of (informal) communication amongst students especially, is predominantly Pidgin-English. This is a very destructive trend, since there is ample research evidence indicating that constant use of Pidgin English can deteriorate the quality of English vocabulary.

I hope that responsible citizens will see the need to understand their mother language(s) adequately and make concerting efforts to ensure that young ones are well grounded in their respective indigenous languages.

Further Reading:
https://childandfamilyblog.com/bilingual-children/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK11007/