Dont' call 'Nigeria' ''Naija-Dora Akunyili

Federal Govt condemns the word "Naija"

The Federal Government has condemned in strong terms the use of “Naija” in place of Nigeria, saying that such usage is “very uncharitable and unpatriotic”.

Minister of Information and Communication, Prof. Dora Akunyili, made the remarks while receiving the participants of Heir Apparent Reality Show in her office in Abuja yesterday.

Akunyili, who frowned on the continuous misrepresentation of the country's official name in place of a “corrupt” version, said: "It is very offensive to call Nigeria ‘Naija’. We are making plans to write companies to stop using the word Naija. I have heard that name Naija in adverts. I want them to go back and remove that word.

"If anybody says this is Naija, ask the person, 'Where is Naija?' We have to stop this word because it is catching up with the young. If we don't put a stop to its usage now, it will continue to project us wrongly.”

The minister's condemnation was prompted by a sentence in the presentation of the visiting group where “our world is Naija” was inserted.

Akunyili, who fervently spoke against the use of the word, ordered that the sentence be removed from the programme and changed to “our world is Nigeria”.

“Naija” is obviously a Nigerianised form of Niger, from where Nigeria derived its name.

The word is popularly used by musicians, artistes, advert managers and corporate companies and it could be positive or negative, although it is being used more positively in recent times.

It is believed to be trendier and is used by the younger generation.

Though no official condemnation of the word has been made, several reports have warned of the consequence of the usage of such words among the youths.

I never liked using "Naija" in place of Nigeria and now that the minister of information has come out strongly to condemn its use, I think Nigerians should listen to her and stop using the "naija". Afetr all Nigeria is not too long to write or pronounce.

I am reserved about this,but I see nothing wrong in calling Nigeria 'naija'.

No Ben. I am sure you do see something wrong. If not you a NAIJAN and not a NIGERIAN. We may dislike the person/s who coined the name NIGERIA, but it should not push us to the extent of naming our motherland goosy names.

Thank you sir,I fervently agree with you that 'Madam' is very right in this,why is Britain not called "beety" or Dubai 'dubby" or America "canal".
Go ahead madam,it is indeed a corrupt thought in the first place,infact it is confusing with the republic of Niger.

What about "yankee" which the Americans use, has this stop their progress?
I don't understand people especially our 9ja leaders. Dora says the name is catching on with the young people and should be stopped, yet no academician of "nigeria" origin has ever to my knowledge brought out any standard "Nigerian english" format that the young will use....
Fools want to resist change, but forget that "if there is any thing constant in this world it is change".
Please for those of us who say the name 9ja is slangish should pls show me any "standard" nigerian writing or speaking format that we can truely call our own. People like "dora" sit in their office do nothing, bring about nothing, add to nothing, steal so much from our wealth, then to make matters worse want to tell us what we should eat, drink, see, feel etc becos they have looted enough to eat, see, feel etc in their own way......

Dora and crook let us be...you might have stolen our wealth but you can not steal our "CREATIVITY".............LIVE AND LEARN O FOOLS THAT WE ARE NIGERIA NOT YOU

What about "yankee" which the Americans use, has this stopPED their progress?

I don't understand people especially our 9ja leaders. Dora says the name is catching on with the young people and should be stopped, yet no academician of "nigeria" origin has ever to my knowledge brought out any standard "Nigerian english" format that the young will use....

Fools want to resist change, but forget that "if there is any thing constant in this world it is change".
Please for those of us who say the name 9ja is slangish should pls show me any "standard" nigerian writing or speaking format that we can truely call our own. People like "dora" sit in their office do nothing, bring about nothing, add to nothing, steal so much from our wealth, then to make matters worse want to tell us what we should eat, drink, see, feel etc becos they have looted enough to eat, see, feel etc in their own way......

Dora and crook let us be...you might have stolen our wealth but you can not steal our "CREATIVITY".............LIVE AND LEARN O FOOLS THAT WE ARE NIGERIA NOT YOU

Hot and weighty argument "Udoyen", I reason in details with you,just that two wrongs can not make a right.
The "Yankee" you are talking about,as far as i know,i have not heard it been mentioned among my America friends like "Naija is been sung about".

Yankee is used in America for Americans from a part of the country like you have northerners and southerners here, like JERRIES for Germans and Scotts for the scottish. But what I want Udoyen to tell me is that can his generation only produce NAIJA and feel that it has achieved something to warrant the smothering he gave Mrs. Dora? The use of English was imposed upon the nation as the official language of administration and communications by our leaders past because of our diversity. Each of us has a more respectful term for our fatherland in his own language. But since we cannot do anything about the imposition, we make the best of what we have, and Dora is right to protect our name. Who ever feels otherwise should look at the circumstances and think again. I AM A NIGERIAN not a NAIJAN.

But how did this name (Naija) come about? its funny, you know.

I think the Nigerians living abroad coined the name - in a derogatory way to depict how things don't work, and how things are perverted, in Nigeria. The first time I heard the slang, I felt insulted. But now, I have grown to regard the name as becoming befitting and matching. We need not dissipate our energies on this issue. The more you protest against a name or appellation, the more the people call you by it, and the more it sticks.

A guy really got it right in my secondary school days. He was given a bad nickname - very odious name. He was much bigger than most of us in the school, so he was always a terror beating us up each time we called him by the name. Yet, the name was getting more and more prominent as students derived some good fun from calling the name and running for cover thereafter. Then this guy either got tired of violently reacting to being called the bad name. He even joined others to parrot the name whenever he was taunted. So, when the fun dried up from calling him by the nickname, the latter gradually died a natural death.

The lesson: Allow the name to die a natural death by not giving it further publicity. And again, let us do things right in Nigeria to change a bad nickname to a good appellation.