Arabic Language and Culture in Nigeria: The Journey so Far

Abstract. Nigeria is a country in West Africa, in Sub-Saharan Africa, far from the Arab countries yet got in contact with Arabic language. Indeed, the Arabic language became Nigerian's official language at a point in time and influences some of her local languages. This paper attempts to study the influence of Arabic culture, particularly Arabic language, in Nigeria by tracing its growth and development and to examine the factors responsible for its survival in a difficult terrain. The paper is divided into four parts. The first part discusses the advent of Arabic language in Nigeria; the Second part dwells on Arabic Education in Nigeria; while the third part focuses on the influence of Arabic language on some Nigerian indigenous languages and vice versa. The fourth part examines Arabic Literature in Nigeria. While the conclusion contains the summary of the paper and some recommendations