Towards Vision 20-2020: The Role of Language and Literature in National Development

Abstract—This is a sociolinguistic paper which discuses the strategies for the actualization of the Federal Government of Nigeria’s vision 20:2020. The role of language and literature is seen here as a catalyst for national development. The vision is that Nigeria should become one of the top 20 global economies by the year 2020, through the implementation of her 7-point-agenda crafted from the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals. Education for All (EFA) is one of the goals that Nigeria desires to achieve by the year 2020, and education is believed to be capable of eradicating poverty and diseases. Education is also believed to be a tool for the promotion of peace, integration and unity. The author therefore posits that language education can be used as a roadmap to national development and democratic greatness. The paper discusses the correlation between language and youth empowerment, socio-political and economic order, technological advancement, democracy and national rebranding. The author then recommends, among other things, that the Federal Government of Nigeria should invest more on multilingual, multicultural and mother tongue education, if her vision is to become a reality and not a dream