Curbing National Insecurity through Effective use of Language

Abstract

This study investigated curbing of national insecurity through effective use of language. The study assessed the present state of insecurity in Nigeria, language as a panacea to the insecurity ill that plague our nation, Nigeria and the role of language in ensuring peaceful co-existence in the nation. The study adopted a descriptive research design of survey type. The sample size of 100 respondents which included lecturers and students was drawn from the population of 345 members of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science and Technology, Ikere chapter. The instrument for data collection was a self-structured questionnaire tagged “Language as a Panacea to Curbing Insecurity in Nigeria (LPCIN) Questionnaire”. The three research questions raised to guide the study were answered using descriptive analysis of simple frequency count, percentage, mean and standard deviation. The two (2) research hypotheses formulated for the study were tested using Chi-square (χ2) statistic of independent sample at 0.05 level of significance. Analysis of the study revealed that there was significant influence of language on the state of insecurity in Nigeria. It was also revealed that there was significant influence of appropriate use of language on the improved peaceful co-existence in Nigeria. The study concluded that the problem of national security is not that of the government alone but what every Nigerian should collaborate to ensure thorough effective and appropriate use of words of the accepted language communication. The study recommended that Nigerian government should create communication channels to effectively disseminate information, create awareness and give the people a sense of belonging and inclusion.