In a recent development, the Bauchi State House of Assembly has made a decision to incorporate the Hausa language alongside English in their official proceedings. The Speaker of the House, Rt Hon Abubakar Y Suleiman, announced this decision during the plenary session following a motion put forward by Hon. Auwal Hassan, the representative of Shira Constituency, on Tuesday.
During the motion, Hassan highlighted that English is the official language used in governmental and non-governmental institutions in Nigeria, as stated in Section 97 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Order 3 Rule 8 of the Standing Orders of the Bauchi State House of Assembly 2017. However, he pointed out that the house has the flexibility to conduct its business in one or more languages spoken within the State.
Hassan emphasized that Hausa is the most widely spoken language in Bauchi, serving as the primary means of communication for over 90% of the State’s population. Therefore, he proposed that Hausa should be adopted as the second official language, in addition to English.
Supporting the motion, Hon. Musa Wakili Nakwada, the representative of Bogoro Constituency, expressed his appreciation for his colleague’s proposal, noting that he had previously made a similar motion during the 9th Assembly.
Following the motion, the Speaker put it to a voice vote, and the house unanimously agreed to adopt Hausa as the second official language alongside English for conducting their business.