Yoruba

Yoruba is mostly spoken in Nigeria and has many dialects. It is also spoken in Benin and Togo. The total population of native speakers in all countries is about 20,000,000. The number rises to 22,000,000 if we also include second-language speakers. In addition, the language is used by immigrants in the United Kingdom and the USA. The official language of Nigeria is English. It is the language of administration, commerce, justice, and so on. Moreover,in education knowledge of English is a pre-requisite to gain admission into higher institutions of the country. However, from the other approximately 400 languages spoken in Nigeria Yoruba together with Igbo and Hausa maintains special status especially in the south-western states of Nigeria. In these areas it enjoys official status and is used in governmental notices and education, while it is widely used in the media, books, films and music. Yoruba is the most documented West African language.