In our series of letters from african reporters, the editor-in-leader of nigeria's each day consider newspaper, mannir dan ali, says in preference to shouting to be heard, nigerian soldiers had been told to research more languages.
The new regulation got here in characteristic army fashion, giving soldiers a window of 12 months to learn to speak nigeria's three major languages.
It did not specify whether or not the ones unable to accomplish that by using november 2018 would lose their jobs.
The languages in question - hausa, igbo and yoruba - represent the 3 dominant communities within the united states, however that still leaves out a big range of nigerians from the united states of america's numerous hundred other ethnic businesses.
Army spokesman brigadier popular sani usman kukasheka has in view that clarified that infantrymen need handiest study the basics, but people with an authorized level of talent will get bonuses.He defined that the idea become to assist infantrymen to perform their obligations extra efficaciously and earn the agree with of the communities wherein they were deployed.
If the initiative succeeds, nigerians could be in for a surprise once they hear greetings - which include "sannu" in hausa, "ekason" in yoruba or "kedu" in igbo - from those in army fatigues.
Most nigerians hold their distance from soldiers, who're generally heavy passed and unfriendly to the ones they talk over with derogatorily as "bloody civilians".
Unifying force
Despite the fact that, the nigerian navy is visible as one of the maximum nationalistic and unifying institutions inside the united states of america - with lots of its personnel in move-cultural marriages because of their postings.A soldier will have served in all components of nigeria - africa's maximum populous country - all through the path of his or her profession.
For people with a gift for languages, it is an opportunity to analyze in the areas they're deployed or from colleagues from other areas.
English is the formal language of the navy and government - or even with the brand new requirement, will continue to be the official language.
But within the years after independence in 1960, there have been greater northerners at junior stages of the military, meaning that hausa, the lingua franca of the north, turned into frequently used to aid communication between the decrease ranks and officers.
Pidgin english is also typically used amongst soldiers from specific areas especially within the well-known "mammy markets" in barracks, wherein the infantrymen go to unwind away from the drudgery of parade grounds or operation zones.
Language of boko haram?
The new language policy appears to stem from the challenges the army is presently encountering as it remains referred to as upon to assist the police in managing law-and-order conditions.
Infantrymen are deployed in greater than 30 of nigeria's 36 states in one internal security operation or some other.
The navy's crackdown on islamist insurgents within the north-east has added with it new challenges - specifically those of non-conventional war however linguistic too.
But, kanuri - the dominant language of boko haram militants - is not a few of the languages soldiers are now required to research.
That is notwithstanding the 8-year insurgency, in which some 20,000 people had been killed, being some distance from over.
Likewise, ijaw - extensively spoken in the restive oil-producing niger delta place of southern nigeria - isn't always obligatory.
The delta militant businesses, who say they are combating for a greater share of the assets for nearby communities, nevertheless now and again attack pipelines and are at the back of severa kidnappings for ransom.
Critics of the brand new degree also say that it could be counter-productive to lay emphasis on mastering more languages while the military have to awareness extra on education, method and strategies to actually include those issues.
They advise that a few proficient translators might also do a higher activity during interrogations and intelligence-amassing - as an alternative of each soldier with a gun.
Nigeria's decrease house of parliament - the house of representatives - has already stepped into the problem.
It has requested the army chief to forestall the implementation of the new coverage, saying it is discriminatory and harmful to the brotherly love of the army.
The mps stated that as nigeria is home to about 400 languages, compelling audio system of different languages to research the 3 important ones might be unfair - and gave some an undue advantage.
This controversy may spark off the military to thoughts what innovations it implements in future as attempts to grapple with the venture of assisting the police to hold each person secure inside the country.
However as it stands, the military chief is not going to be announcing sorry for this policy - in any language.
