Education
THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND THE JARGON OF TRANSPORTATION
One of the uses of the English Language as stated by David Crystal (a linguist) in 2010 is English for special purpose. Apart from the use of English for general purposes, every profession is characterized by its technical term as well as some styles of writing that are peculiar to them alone. These terms are known as JARGON and not what people interpret as RUBBISH.
The first expression to be considered here is BOARD. I have read many descriptions of places indicating this:
“Board a bus from Surulere to Oshodi.” “Surulere and “Oshodi” are names of places in Lagos. The important question to ask here is, “Is the use of board inappropriate?” our findings reveal this as the meaning of board.
Board means to get on a bus, plane, train etc in order to travel somewhere.
The definition shows that board is only concerned with travelling.
I board a bus from Lagos to Abuja every Saturday.
Some users suggested the use of the word ENTER. They say, “Enter a bus to Abuja. “The definition of enter reveals. Enter means to go or come into a place. He entered the room suddenly.
word ENTER is not jargon peculiar to transportation unlike board that is wrongly used. In talking about a short distance, especially within the same state, use the word “GET ON’’. You can say,
Get on a bus from Surulere to Oshodi.
If one gets on a bus, don’t you often hear the expression get down? I noticed another expression emanating from get down. The expression is come down. Somebody must have asked you this once;
“Are you coming down here?”
Let us examine the two expressions.
Get down means to write something especially something that someone is saying.
He was followed by a group of reporters trying to get down every word he said.
It will be ridiculous if a policeman tells an educated driver to get down, and he picks his pen and paper saying,
“I am listening.
That is the accurate interpretation of the statement and he acted appropriately in that situation.
What about the phrasal verb “Come down”. The closest meanings to the situation of a bus are:
- For someone to travel to the place where one is.
Are you coming down for the holiday?
- to fall to the ground.
We were still out in the fields when the rain started coming down.
The word people use to replace “get down” and “come down” is alight.
How accurate is the use of the expression? Alight, as a verb is Intransitive; meaning that it does not need an object to make a sentence. If there must be an object after it, the preposition “from” must follow it. She alighted from the bus at Ikeja.
Not, She alighted at Ikeja. What is the meaning of the word alight? Our findings reveal that the word alight means to step out of a vehicle after a journey. Most users insist the use of the preposition “from” as a collocation for the word “alight”
Examine this expression:
“Do not alight from a moving bus”
Instead of bothering yourselves with the usage of get down, come down and even alight; try to use the word ‘GET OFF’’
Say,
Driver! I want to get off here.
Drivers often use the expression “Trafficate” Don’t you say that too? You must have accused somebody that he/she did not trafficate for you.
Let’s examine this conversation:
A: Did you trafficate?
B: I thought you saw my trafficator.
Sincerely, there was a blend of the two words Traffic and indicator.
The blending took place in Mid 20th Century. This suggests that the word “trafficator” existed for some time before going into extinction. There was never, such word as “trafficate” in English it must have emanated from back formation as a result of over generalisation.
Just like,
Generater – Generate
Instructor – Instruct
Drivers!Please read this
We discovered these words as the appropriate expressions, indicate and indicator . Let us examine their meanings.
Indicate means to show the direction in which you intend to turn in a vehicle using lights or your hands.
Don’t forget to indicate before you pull out.
Indicator is one of the lights in a car that flash to show which way the car is turning.
Let’s revisit the conversation:
A: Did you indicate?
B: I thought you saw my indicator
Again, as it was established, though still used by some people, that the word “Go slow” has nothing to do with traffic; go slow is a protest against an employer in which the workers work as slowly as possible. Nigerian users tend to use the words “hold up” and ‘’traffic jam” interchangeably.
Is traffic jam the same as hold up?
Traffic jam is long line of vehicles on a road that cannot move or can only move very slowly.
We were stuck in a traffic jam for two hours.
Hold-up, however, is a situation that stops something from happening or making progress. It means a delay.
Traffic hold-up implies traffic delay. The delay can come in any form and not necessarily a long line of vehicles on a road. Traffic hold-up goes beyond that. In comparison, both the traffic jam and the traffic hold-up lead to delay as that is the effect of the two situations except that the description of the two situations are not the same.
The first day that I posted this expression as inappropriate, I received a lot of criticism as feedback. I am also expecting the same in this publication. English is a language, just like other languages, that is governed by rules and certain styles. I have read this expression in different materials like posters, billboard and even certain newspapers. It is often used by the government agencies to instruct and to discourage people about crossing the highway. Can you guess what the expression is? It is PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE.
Our concept of a pedestrian bridge is a bridge that is used by people walking and not by vehicles there any type of bridge that is named pedestrian Bridge? Who is a pedestrian? Pedestrian is someone who is walking, especially along a street or other places used by cars.
From the definition if there is anything like a pedestrian bridge, it should be a bridge that is used both by the motorists and the people walking and not by the people walking alone. We investigated further about different types of bridge that exists.
We discovered the following types: Flyover Viaduct Suspension bridge Hump-backed bridge Foot bridge.
Flyover is a bridge that takes one road over another road.
Viaduct is a long high bridge, especially one with ARCHES that crosses a valley and has a road or railway on it.
Suspension bridge is a bridge that has no support under it, but is hung from strong steel ropes fixed to towers.
Hump-backed bridge is a short bridge with a steep slope on each side.
Foot bridge is a narrow bridge used by people who are walking.
Cantilever bridge is a bridge made from a long piece of metal or wood that sticks out from an upright post or wall and supports a shell.
Truss bridge is a bridge that is supported by a frame.
From all the types of bridge discovered, flyover and Foot Bridge are common to us. What then is the likely source of the expression Pedestrian Bridge? There are some bridges in Nigeria that are used both by the people walking as well as the motorists. Unlike the definition of pedestrian, there are separate roads for the motorists and the people walking. It is safe to use the expression FLYOVER for such.
For the bridges that are constructed for the people walking alone and not together with the motorists.
The appropriate word for the bridge used by the people walking alone is known as FOOT BRIDGE.
Instead of the notice
“Use the Pedestrian Bridge’’
It is better to write
Use the Foot Bridge
You must have observed this the expression even along our roads. The expression is used to indicate the name of the police officer that controls traffic.
I was surprised to read in one of the questions of the Accounting Technical Scheme, Communication Skills
The signs used by the Traffic Warden in controlling traffic is known as …………………………
You must have seen the expression ‘Traffic Warden” to imply the police officer that direct the movement of the vehicles on the road .
Is this name appropriate?
Who is a Traffic warden?
Traffic warden is a person whose job is to check that people do not park their cars in the wrong place or for longer than as allowed and to report on those who do or tell them that they have to pay a FINE
We discovered another definition close to the Nigerian usage from World English Dictionary .
Traffic warden is an un uniformed public official; who enforces parking restriction on the highway and may also direct traffic
That definition does not interpret our use for some reason.
- Our conception of a traffic warden is a uniformed public official.
- Traffic warden, in our definition, majorly controls the traffic .
Do you observe something in the definitions of the word traffic warden? No single definition indicate that a traffic warden is a police officer.
What do we say then?
The police officer that directs traffic is unofficially known as TRAFFIC COP. In a formal writing or speech, the police officer is known as a TRAFFIC OFFICER.
The Essence of this column is not to criticise any organisation or body. We intend to expose us to the fact that our use of English is still very low in Nigeria. Our students in secondary schools do not usually pass the English language as expected.
Most of our graduates are afraid of speaking the English language confidently because they are not sure of the appropriate usage of the lexical items.
We have been able to examine the following words in this edition, board , get down , trafficate, hold up, traffic jam, pedestrian bridge and traffic warden.
The discussion continues in the next edition
Don’t forget this, a good Communication Skill can make you greater than you can ever imagine. It is relevant to every profession.
Take a good decision today. Acquire this skill and become better. The Gospel of good English is what we preach at the Stylisticians English Language School.
The Stylisticians
Moshood Abimbola Alabi
Stylisticians English Language School.
14, Iwaya Road, Yaba, Lagos
PIN:7F26FB7A
COMR. YUSUF TOBI JAMIU ANNOUNCES SCHEDULE FOR SUG WEEK 2026, CALLS FOR MASS PARTICIPATION
University of Abuja SUG President Unveils 6-Day Programme Focused on Leadership, Innovation, Culture, and Student Unity
ABUJA, NIGERIA — The President of the Students’ Union Government, University of Abuja, Comr. Yusuf Tobi Jamiu (JAMO) has officially unveiled the schedule of activities for SUG WEEK 2026, scheduled to hold from 18th to 23rd May, 2026, at the University of Abuja.
In an official release to the general public, Comr. Yusuf Tobi Jamiu stated that this year’s edition is designed as a comprehensive student engagement and development programme aimed at promoting leadership, innovation, entrepreneurship, culture, intellectual interaction, entertainment, sportsmanship, and social integration within the university community.
“SUG Week 2026 is not merely a celebration, but a reflection of purposeful student leadership and the collective spirit of the University of Abuja student community, ”Comr. Yusuf Tobi Jamiu said. “I encourage every student to participate actively, represent their faculties and departments positively, and make the most of this platform for growth and unity.”
Building on a Record of Student-Centred Governance
Under the leadership of Comr. Yusuf Tobi Jamiu, the current administration, has introduced several initiatives to improve student engagement and institutional representation. These include the unveiling of the official SUG Website, presentation of SUG Buses, development of strategic partnerships, presentation of the SUG Magazine, and various welfare and empowerment-driven programmes.
With the approval and support of University Management led by the Vice-Chancellor, *Prof. Abdulhakeem Fawehinmi Babatunde*, SUG Week 2026 has been structured to provide students with opportunities for networking, creativity, intellectual participation, relaxation, and campus-wide unity.
`
SUG WEEK 2026 Schedule of Activities
Day 1 – Monday, 18th May: Corporate Day
Official Launch & Unveiling
1. Official Unveiling of the SUG Website
2. Presentation and Commissioning of the SUG Buses
3. Presentation of the SUG Magazine
4. Award Presentation Ceremony
5. Leadership and Innovation Summit
6. Networking Session
The opening ceremony will feature distinguished personalities, public office holders, institutional stakeholders, business leaders, and guests from across the country.
Day 2 – Tuesday, 19th May: Old School Day
Inter-Faculty Debate Competition
A day dedicated to celebrating culture, creativity, and intellectual engagement through vintage-themed appearances and an inter-faculty debate competition.
Day 3 – Wednesday, 20th May: Jersey Day
Sports & Health Awareness
Focus on fitness, wellness, sportsmanship, and health awareness through sporting activities, recreational engagements, and sensitisation programmes.
Day 4 – Thursday, 21st May: Denim Day
Career & Entrepreneurship Day
Empowering students with career development opportunities, entrepreneurship knowledge, mentorship, networking, and innovation-driven discussions.
Day 5 – Friday, 22nd May: Fashion Show Day
Fashion Display & Runway Experience
Students will showcase creativity, talent, fashion expression, and entertainment through runway displays and coordinated fashion activities.
Day 6 – Saturday, 23rd May: Fake Wedding / Owambe Finale
Grand Finale
The grand social and cultural finale brings students together through music, culture, fashion, food, entertainment, and social interaction.
Call to Action
Comr. Yusuf Tobi Jamiu and the Students’ Union Government encourage all students to take part in the week’s activities and uphold the spirit of unity and excellence that defines the University of Abuja.
Students interested in volunteering, participating, partnering, sponsoring, modelling, or engaging in any activity are advised to send a direct message to the Union through the provided contacts.
For Sponsorship and Partnership: +234 810 593 0335
Signed:
Comr. Yusuf Tobi Jamiu (JAMO)
President, Students’ Union Government (SUG)
University of Abuja
Education
GIRAU INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL, MILLENNIUM CITY KADUNA, OPENS ADMISSION FOR THE 2025/2026 ACADEMIC SESSION
*GIRAU INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL, MILLENNIUM CITY KADUNA, OPENS ADMISSION FOR THE 2025/2026 ACADEMIC SESSION
Girau International School (GIS), a premier educational institution located in the heart of Millennium City, Kaduna, has officially announced the commencement of admissions for the forthcoming academic year. The school invites applications for its comprehensive educational streams: *Early Years, Primary, Secondary, and Islamiyya*.
Renowned for its unwavering commitment to academic excellence and holistic development, GIS stands as a beacon of learning in Northern Nigeria. The institution is built on a foundational philosophy dedicated to providing *world-class education* that meets international standards while being firmly rooted in positive cultural and moral values.
The school’s mission extends beyond conventional academics. With a dedicated focus on *nurturing young minds and shaping future leaders* of tomorrow, GIS employs a curated blend of innovative teaching methodologies, a blended curriculum, and state-of-the-art facilities. The environment is meticulously designed to ensure that every student excels *academically, socially, and morally*, preparing them to thrive in a dynamic global landscape.
*A CAPACITY FOR EXCELLENCE*
GIS boasts significant capacity to deliver on its promises:
* *Modern Infrastructure:* The campus features purpose-built, technologically integrated classrooms, advanced science and computer laboratories, expansive sports facilities, and dedicated learning spaces for creative and performing arts.
* *Qualified Faculty:* The school employs a team of highly trained, experienced, and passionate educators who are specialists in child-centered and participatory learning.
* *Blended Curriculum:* The academic programme seamlessly integrates the Nigerian/British curriculum ensuring international best practices, complemented by a strong emphasis on character building, leadership skills, and Islamic ethical teachings in its Islamiyya section.
* *Secure and Conducive Environment:* Situated within the serene and secure Millennium City layout, the school provides a safe, inclusive, and stimulating atmosphere ideal for learning and personal growth.
Prospective parents and guardians seeking an educational partnership that prioritizes excellence, discipline, and comprehensive development for their wards are encouraged to secure a place.
Admission forms are available at the school’s administration office. Early application is advised due to limited vacancies across all classes.
NIGERIA’S EDUCATION STRIDES, GLOBAL ACKNOWLEDGMENT: When Evidence Travels from Jigawa
…as President Tinubu set to commission Africa’s largest schools complex in Lagos
By O’tega Ogra
There is a quiet shift happening in Nigeria’s education system. You will not find it in speeches neither will you find it in long policy documents. But if you look closely, you will see it in something far more difficult to dismiss. Evidence.
Last week in San Francisco, at the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES) conference, data from classrooms in Jigawa State was presented before a global audience. Not projections. Not estimates. A record of what is happening inside a public system in Nigeria. 
That distinction matters. For years, much of what the world has understood about education in countries like ours has been assembled from a distance. National averages. Modelled estimates and reports written long after the fact. What was presented this time came from within. Attendance tracked daily. Teachers reassigned based on need. Classrooms observed as they function. All under a digitalised ecosystem.
In Jigawa, under the JigawaUNITE foundational learning digital programme, the numbers tell a simple story. Within roughly 150 days of implementation which commenced at the end of 2024, 95 previously understaffed schools were fully staffed. Pupil teacher ratio moved from 114:1 to 70:1. Daily attendance rose from 39 per cent to 77 per cent. This remarkable improvement was not achieved by expanding the workforce. It came from reorganising what already existed under a digital umbrella.
There is something instructive in that. Nigeria has never lacked policy. What we have often lacked is the discipline of execution. The ability to take what already exists and make it work as intended. That is where the real shift is beginning to show.
But it would be too convenient to reduce this to one programme.
At the federal level, the direction has also been adjusting. The Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, has placed measurable outcomes, foundational learning, and teacher quality back at the centre of policy. UBEC, the Federal Government’s Universal Basic Education body, continues to drive national interventions around school improvement and teacher development, even as it insists that reform must remain system-led and not fragmented.
The First Lady’s education interventions, through the Renewed Hope Initiative, have reinforced education as a national priority, particularly around access, learning materials, and inclusion. These are different levers, but they are part of the same ecosystem.
And then there is the fiscal reality.
Recent reforms under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu have increased allocations to subnational governments, creating more room for states to act. In a federation like Nigeria, that matters. Because education is not delivered from Abuja. It is delivered in states. In schools. In classrooms.
What Jigawa has done is to use that room and the Executive Governor of the state, the State Universal Basic Education Board, and their partners on the JigawaUNITE project, New Globe, must be given kudos.
However, Jigawa is not alone in this journey.
In Kwara, efforts to align teaching with actual learning levels are beginning to correct a structural mismatch in classrooms. In Lagos and Edo, structured pedagogy and closer monitoring are improving consistency in teaching. Across the entire ecosystem, state governments, federal institutions like UBEC, and delivery partners like NewGlobe are pushing at the same question from different angles.
How do children actually learn better?
In a prior reflection, Ifeyinwa Ugochukwu, VP at NewGlobe, captured the urgency clearly. With the right tools, training, and use of data, foundational learning outcomes can improve at scale. The real risk, she noted, is delay, allowing learning gaps to become permanent.
That warning should not be ignored because the context remains difficult. Nigeria still carries one of the largest out of school populations in the world. Learning gaps remain. Progress in one state does not resolve a national challenge, but it does something else.
It proves that movement is possible.
What was presented in Washington did not claim success. It demonstrated function. It showed that a Nigerian sub-national can generate evidence that holds up in a global room. That reform does not always require something new. Sometimes it requires using what already exists more honestly and more efficiently.
The real question now is whether this remains an exception.
Or whether it becomes a pattern.
Because reform at scale is never built on isolated wins. It is built on systems that can reproduce them.
And perhaps that is why the timing matters.
This week, another subnational, Lagos State, is expected to commission the Tolu Schools Complex in Ajegunle, a sprawling 36-school integrated facility spread across 11.7 hectares, designed to serve over 20,000 students, and described as the largest school community in Africa. 
There is a connection here that should not be missed.
On one hand, a classroom system in Jigawa is learning how to organise itself better. On the other, a state like Lagos is building the physical scale required to carry thousands of learners at once.
One is structure. The other is capacity.
Real progress sits where both meet because education reform is not only about what we build, it is about how well what we build actually works.
For once, the data was not explaining Nigeria from the outside.
It was coming from within.
And it carried weight.
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