Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba languages are our national languages because they are spoken by the majority. Consequently, my siblings also learned languages and married speakers of other languages. My father also moved our family around by working in different states, until he settled in Abuja when I was born. My aunties married and introduced new languages into the family.
This exposed them to different linguistic environments now they speak between three and six languages. My maternal grandfather, Sergeant Afa, was a soldier whose family of 11 moved from barrack to barrack. It is the one language that binds us all.
Just remember to add a little bit of pidgin to yours and you will be fine. If you are visiting Nigeria, don't be daunted by the 520 languages in our repertoire. Author Mimi Werna has put together her 20 favourite phrases in Nigerian Pidgin.
