By Alade Adisa
Professor Lateef Babatunde Ayeleru, a renowned scholar of French and former Director-General/CEO of the Nigeria French Language Village (NFLV), recently concluded his five-year tenure at the inter-university centre based in Ajara, Badagry. In this exclusive interview with New Daily Prime, he reflects on the achievements, challenges, and the untapped potential of the French language in Nigeria.
Has the vision for setting up the Nigeria French Language Village been achieved?
To the glory of God, we can say to a large extent it has been achieved, but it can be better in the sense that it came as a make shift arrangement. In those days, the Language Immersion Programme was done abroad. Some of us who studied French Language went abroad for the programme. It was a year programme, but in the 1990s, when foreign exchange difficulty cropped up, and parents could no longer sponsor their children abroad for the programme, the then military leader, General Ibrahim Babangida called together professors of French Language to develop home grown alternative for the immersion programme and the same thing was done for Arabic Language. Since then, the Village has been receiving students from all Nigerian universities and colleges of education teaching French.
The main challenge is inadequate funding and we know that government alone cannot fund education adequately. The issue of funding is there. The situation was worsened when the Village was delisted from the list of institutions that benefit from interventions by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TET Fund. When it was Education Tax Fund, ETF, all institutions, including the Inter-University Centres, benefitted, but when the Act that established it was amended by the National Assembly, it was stated that it would now serve public universities, colleges of education and polytechnics.
What efforts are being made to enlist these inter-university centres into TETFund activities?
All the four inter-university centres have been trying to get enlisted again. It started during the tenure of my predecessor and all the directors have been on the matter since then. But because it is an act of parliament, it is a big problem. It is an Act that was amended and they have to go back and get the Act amended again. It is a big issue because as they are struggling to get back on the list, new institutions are coming up to benefit from TET Fund. You can see now that most public higher institutions rely on TET Fund for major capital projects.
What was your experience like in office?
If you are familiar with the place, you would know that its current condition is far better than what it used to be. Significant improvements have been made, starting with the environment. Previously, whenever it rained, the entire campus—including the main road, hostels, and lecture rooms—would become flooded and inaccessible.
We understood that the government could not address every challenge, so we took a proactive approach. We blocked all financial leakages. This did not sit well with some individuals, and they went as far as reporting us to community leaders and others. However, the community leaders responded by reminding them of the state of the institution before we came on board. They even challenged the union leaders to explain how we were able to fund the improvements they were witnessing.
We led by example, lived modestly, avoided corruption, and ensured that no one was allowed to misappropriate funds.
What was your relationship with the union after blocking financial leakages?
I had no issue with them. I am also a member of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU and I know what to do and the importance of workers’ welfare, as well as that of students. Crisis dogged the tenures of some of my predecessors. When I came, I told them my plans. Even during my time, the non-academic staff went on strike, but I didn’t allow them to disrupt academic activities. There was a time they went on strike for two months, they came back to work on their own. I went to put on the generator and pumped water into the hostels and lectures held.
The House of Representatives is considering a bill to make the institution a university, what is your take?
We all know what it takes to become a university. The inaugural lecture series started under my watch. With the memorandum of understanding with the Lagos State University, LASU, and the National Universities Commission, NUC, lecturers in the Village can now attain the rank of professor.
What about becoming a university of linguistics and teaching other international languages?
It is not just teaching one course in a university. If you are studying French for instance, you have the subsidiary courses you take, you have the general studies among others. If it would become a university now, there is need to take care of other segments automatically. The NUC has it should focus on being a centre of excellence, to focus on postgraduate studies and produce manpower for Nigeria.
What has Nigeria gained as a country for setting up the institution, bearing in mind that we are surrounded by Francophone nations?
We have not fully maximized the potential of establishing this institution. Nigeria is surrounded by French-speaking countries—at times, one might even joke that the Atlantic Ocean itself is Francophone. Yet, how many Nigerians speak French or show genuine interest in learning it?
When our colleagues from Francophone nations present papers at workshops and seminars, and realize the audience is primarily English-speaking, they often make every effort to deliver their presentations in English. We encounter them at conferences.
In contrast, Nigeria has not tapped into the natural linguistic advantage that God has given us through proximity to Francophone countries. Many Nigerian towns are more French-influenced due to their closeness to our French-speaking neighbors. Language is a strategic resource—we must take the lead and fully harness its potential.
