On the Quest to Study Abroad; Cultural, Linguistic and Economic Fallouts- matters Arising In Nigeria

Abstract

Nigerian language and culture are endangered because of a strong craving to study abroad. The upsurge in the number of Nigerian youths fleeingthe country still grows for many reasons: while some go in pursuit of university education, others simply go in search of greener pastures. Yet, the cultural cum linguistic and economic implications of this mass exodus of the supposedly best brains of the country have received little or no scholarly attention. This paper therefore presents a discourse cum psycholinguistic analysis of some online newspaper publications on the presence and activities of Nigerians in oversea countries vis-à-vis, the aftermath on the Nigerian nation. The methodology involves a critical reading of selected online newspaper publications on educational issues in Nigeria and abroad. The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis Linguistic Theory (1929), and Anchimbe and Janney (2017) Postcolonial Pragmatic Theory are used to account for the hybridic discourses resulting from the mixture of different sociocultural and linguistic elements as a corollary of colonization. The results show that the alarming taste for oversea education in Nigeria has not only corrupted our communication system and cultural demeanor, it has also impacted negatively on the value of our currency, contributed to the general weakness of the Nigerian local universities and ultimately led to brain drain in Nigeria. It is therefore concluded that this trend has taken from us far more than whatever good it has brought and should immediately be discontinued as a necessary route to our cultural and economic emancipation.