Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, has shed light on why he announced the rearrest of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in Hausa language.
Some Nigerians who saw the viral video clip which was carried by Global Upfront Newspapers (GUN) Social Media platforms where Alhaji Malami was speaking in Hausa language, condemned the action, as it seemed to give preference to one ethnic group above another.
However, speaking with Daily Independent, Dr. Umar Gwandu, the Minister’s Spokesperson, said his principal first addressed the media in English language but later spoke in Hausa following the request of international media stations, such as the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) who broadcast their programmes in Hausa.
He said after speaking in English, the stations had appealed to the Minister to also speak in Hausa language for the effect of soundbite.
“If you have any journalist who attended the press conference, you can call him to verify. He (Malami) first spoke in English language but because there was BBC Hausa and other international media stations that broadcast their programmes in Hausa language at that press conference, these stations asked for insert because of the essence of soundbite and the minister obliged them by speaking in Hausa. Radio station is different from newspaper or television.
“The Minister spoke in Hausa, which is one of the three major languages in Nigeria because he understood and can speak the language. He would have done the same if he can speak Igbo and Yoruba too. Non-English speakers should not be denied access to news,” he said.