Why Do Nigerians Have a Problem With People Speaking English?

We never truly talk about how we're "meant to speak" in Nigeria. Sometimes, it feels like we're expected to speak in a certain way just to prove that we're from here, and when we don't, it suddenly becomes a problem. We're "forming."

You enter a commercial vehicle and have a simple conversation with the conductor about your change or where you want to get down, and the next thing you hear is, "Aunty, when you're ready, you go speak properly. Who this one dey form for?"

So, a simple sentence telling you where I want to get off has suddenly become me "forming"?

It's honestly saddening.

And what's even more ironic is that the British colonised us. We adopted their laws, their systems, and parts of their culture and way of living, but somehow, speaking their language fluently is where we draw the line?

Speaking well is one of the most underrated things we rarely talk about. Teenagers are constantly abbreviating words, and even now, there are people who don't know the difference between "am" and "I'm." Yet, when you encounter someone who speaks English fluently or chooses their words carefully, instead of listening, learning, or even silently taking the correction, the immediate response is to mock them.

"See English."

"Who you dey form for?"

Why?

When did speaking well become something to be ashamed of?

There is absolutely nothing wrong with speaking Pidgin, Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa, or any of our other beautiful Nigerian languages. But there is also nothing wrong with speaking English properly. One does not cancel out the other.

Maybe we should stop seeing fluency as "forming" and start seeing it for what it is: a skill.

The sooner we stop mocking people for speaking well, the better for us.