Eighteenth International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities

Abstract

The Arabic language prospered in Nigeria after gaining its roots through the penetration of Islam to the area. It served as the language of politics, administration, and commerce in the eighteenth century. The language was earlier introduced through the Arabic local schools, and later spread to the secular schools after a while. It was through these mediums, the Arabic Language gained its roots, and became a language of communication in the location. It was after the popular Jihad of Sheikh Uthman bn Fodio when there was a colonial intervention that Arabic began to witness retrogression in Nigeria.This paper therefore wishes to take a look at the history of Arabic in Nigeria, its era of tranquility and era of decadence. It also aims to examine the roles of Arabic local schools in projecting the Arabic language in Nigeria. It will further look at the causes of its retrogression and proffer solutions. Historical and analytical methods are employed for this task.