Niger’s military government has formally trashed French and adopted Hausa as the nation’s new national language which is already the most spoken language across the country, particularly in the Zinder, Maradi and Tahoua regions.
This was made known in a special edition of the government’s new charter which was released on March 31.
“The national language is Hausa and the working languages are English and French,” the document partly reads.
The language change followed a national meeting held in February.
During that event, the military government received more support, and the junta leader, General Abdourahamane Tiani, was approved to stay in power for five more years.
Since taking over in a coup in July 2023, which removed the country’s civilian president, Mohamed Bazoum, the junta has been cutting off ties with France.
These actions include removing French troops from the country, ending diplomatic relations, and changing the names of roads and buildings that used to carry French names.
With close to 26 million people who understand and speak Hausa in Niger, only about three million people ( 13 per cent), can speak French.
Zarma-Songhay, Fula, Kanuri, Gourmanche, and Arabi were listed in the new charter “as the spoken languages of Niger.”
Meanwhile, Niger had approached Nigeria to bail it out of a severe fuel scarcity crisis that has almost brought the country to a standstill.
It was gathered that Niger had quietly sent a delegation to Abuja, appealing for an emergency fuel supply.
According to reports, Niger has been grappling with a crippling fuel shortage for weeks, leading to long queues at petrol stations, skyrocketing black-market prices, and widespread economic disruption.
A manager of a petrol station on the capital’s outskirts, Mohammed said, “Our tanks have been dry for three days. No one can say when we’ll be resupplied.”
“You see that taxi over there? The driver went around town and finally ran out of fuel here,” the manager, who did not want to give his full name told AFP.
