ABSTRACT
Nigeria is a multi-ethnic state with about 400 languages and 5,000 dialects (Omu 2008, “Ethnicity, Nationalism and Federalism in Nigeria and Ethnicity in Nigeria: An Interactive Trinity if Relationships,” in Media and Democracy in Nigeria, edited by F.I.A. Omu and G.E. Oboh, 88–116, Ibadan: Stirling Horden Publishers Limited). Of the languages, three – Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba – are spoken by more people than the others, hence, the greater attention they receive from the government. This consistent patronage has guaranteed the standardisation of their orthography and their status as a functional language of education in schools and of communication in the media. It is therefore not surprising to note that, in 1859, the pioneer newspaper in Nigeria, Iwe Irohin, was first published in the Yoruba language before the advent of the English version. Despite the pioneering role of Iwe Irohin and other titles that followed, the history of indigenous language newspapers has been characterised by a high mortality rate. This chapter examines the interface of political, economic and digital elements and their effects on indigenous language media performance and sustainability. It also proffers feasible coping strategies for indigenous language media practitioners in the present environment of uncertainty.
