Yemisi Izuora
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has
extolled the role of the Arabic Language in forging global alliance
and unity among disparate racial and ethnic communities and nations.
The Minister stated this at an Arabic Language Workshop on the
occasion of the United Nations commemoration of the 2020 World Arabic
Day, hosted by the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Abuja on
Sunday.
He said the language has proven to be a veritable tool in global
efforts at the realization of the United Nations Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDGs number 1 to 5 on the
eradication of poverty
and hunger, promotion of human welfare, as well as quality education
and gender equality.
Alhaji Mohammed said in Nigeria in particular, the Arabic Language,
which is being spoken by the Shuwa-Arabs, an ethnic stock in the
northeast of the country with cultural and historical affiliation to
the wider Baqqara tribe in East Africa, serves as the storehouse of
the nation’s history and indeed that of Africa,
He said Arabic language experts have continued to provide the
intellectual capital that has incentivized development and progress in
all spheres of national development.
“In other words, Arabic language is one of the ancient and
earliest-known languages to mankind. It is unique and renowned for
its rich diglossia, and employed on a daily basis as a medium of
spiritual and theistic interactions between God and adherents of
Islam, who number 1.8 billion,” he said.
In his remarks, the Ambassador of UAE to Nigeria, Dr. Fahad Al Taffaq,
said Arabic Language remains a pillar of cultural diversity for
humanity as the language is used daily by more than 400 million people
across 25 countries, with over 10, including Nigeria, in Africa.
He said the Embassy has shown continuous commitment to promoting
cultural and interfaith tolerance in Nigeria, through various
initiatives such as the Essay Competition on tolerance it organized
for secondary school students in Abuja, the UAE-Nigeria Cultural and
Arts Exhibition it hosted in Lagos this year and the Interfaith
Tolerance Dialogue it organized for religious and cultural leaders.
The World Arabic Language Day featured a paper presentation by the
Director, Nigerian Centre for Arabic Research, Prof. Elkhidiru Abdul
Baaq Mohammed, and Dr. Tahir Fayez Abdelaal of the Faculty of Art,
University of Abuja.