Abstract
Nigeria has over five hundred indigenous languages and over three hundred ethnic groups. Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba seem to be recognised as national languages, but it could be observed that English language has dominated all these languages by being accorded a prestigious status. English language is the language of instructionin schools; it is the language of commerce and official meetings. Nigeria had her independence from the British sixty-six years ago; hence the need to have her own nationally recognised official language. To serve as a guide, it is imperative that language planners explore other multilingual countries to study how they went about selecting their national languages. Due to the multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural nature of the country, it is suggested that Nigerian Pidgin could be considered as a national/official language since the language does not belong to any particular tribe. It is expected that it would be generally acceptable since no tribe would feel slighted. A nation without a national language might not record any development, be it politically, socially, educationally or economically. For Nigeria to attain the expected height, homes, teachers and the government must work hand in hand. Language planners should come up with orthographies for the Nigerian languages to ease the teaching/learning of them.
Keywords: Language, National Language, Language Planners, Indigenous Language, Nigerian Pidgin