Have you ever stopped to wonder if everyone in the room actually understands what is being said? In multilingual countries like Nigeria, we often use English as a default, assuming that because people aren't complaining, they must be following along. But this is a dangerous assumption. Back in April 2019, during research in a village between Jos and Abuja, a team member told an engaging Bible story in Hausa to a group of children. They seemed to understand, but only two or three actually answered her questions. However, when a young man retold the same story in their local language, Berom, the gathered children completely transformed. Suddenly, every single child was jumping up, waving their hands, and answering the questions perfectly. They didn't just hear the words; they finally understood them. (More more, read the original blog posts:They Just Looked At Me and Margin… gone)
Right now, parts of the Bible have been translated into 305 of the 495 living Nigerian languages, including 110 languages with at least the New Testament. See how God has been honored through hundreds of lives dedicated to this huge work! Although the New Testament has been translated into only 56% of Nigerian’s languages, due to these being high-population languages, more than 93% of the people in Nigeria have access to Scripture in their heritage tongue (see Figures). Praise God for this opportunity! Yet, in the vast majority of local churches, English or regional languages dominate. A study of twenty-eight local languages showed that in only three of them was the mother-tongue Scripture actually used regularly in church services. When we pray for the Word of God to take root, we must also pray for the barriers of "prestige" languages to fall. When the New Testament was written, the early apostles didn't preserve it in Aramaic—the native language of Jesus Himself. Instead, they wrote in common Greek because it was the everyday language that the rapidly expanding, diverse church actually understood. If the early Church prioritized the comprehension of the listeners over the language of its founder, why should we expect our brothers and sisters today to grow spiritually in a language they struggle to comprehend?
Figures: Bible translation in Nigeria by language (blue) and population (orange)
This exclusion goes beyond the church pews; it is severely affecting our children's education. Historically, children in Nigeria have been punished or shamed for speaking their mother tongues at school, turning education into a stressful leap into the unknown. For years, a national policy supported teaching young children in their native languages first. The Obolo community took advantage of this and launched the Obolo Bilingual Education Programme. By teaching children in their mother tongue, Obolo, while gradually introducing English, the program achieved world-renowned success. Sadly, the Ministry of Education reversed this policy in late 2025, making English the sole language of instruction. Although the change was well-intentioned for better education, it could close the door for many Nigerian students. We must lift up these children in prayer, asking that they will not be locked out of learning the basic skills they need to thrive.
Language is also a matter of daily survival and human dignity. Imagine receiving a medical diagnosis or treatment instructions that you cannot understand. Crucial, lifesaving health booklets on waterborne diseases, malaria, and hygiene are available digitally in over a thousand languages, yet they rarely reach the rural clinics where they are desperately needed. Furthermore, in areas of Nigeria deeply scarred by terrorism and kidnapping, local-language trauma healing programs are proving to be powerful tools for restoration. When people hear the healing promises of God's Word wrapped in the very language they use to grieve, the depth of forgiveness and recovery is profound.
Please join us in bringing these matters before the Lord. Pray that denominational leaders will have the courage and creativity to introduce local-language Scriptures—including audio and video forms—into their weekly services. Pray for policy changes in our education system so children can once again learn freely in the languages they speak at home. And finally, pray that God will provide the volunteers to translate and distribute native-language health and trauma healing booklets to the most vulnerable. Let us work and pray together so that every tribe and tongue in Nigeria can know God deeply, learn freely, and live with the full dignity they deserve.
This blog is based on an academic advocacy paper presented at the Nasarawa State University on July 14, 2026. Please contact Zach if you would like to read the original paper.
