Language as a Tool for Universal Peace: The Case of the 2001 Jos Crisis

Abstract

The importance of language cannot be over-emphasised; it is at the centre of virtually every aspect of human endeavour. It is also a fundamental and indispensable tool for growth, development and sustenance, such that the continuous survival of any society depends largely on it. This study explores the role of language in ensuring universal peace and describes how language was used in settling the 2001 crisis in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria. It adopts the Systematic Functional Linguistic theory, which asserts that language use is determined by the prevailing circumstances surrounding it. Language, in this regard, is seen as a significant factor which, if positively applied, brings about harmonious living and peaceful co-existence in society, but if not positively applied, can strain hitherto cordial relationships. The primary data for the study were obtained with a questionnaire administered to 100 participants in fieldwork carried out in Jos in 2023. For secondary data, three newspapers that reported the Jos crisis of 2001, namely This Day, New Nigerian Newspapers and Vanguard, were consulted in order to gain more insight into the occurrence. The study established that the choice of words or language is very important in quelling crisis. It recommends, among other things, that mediators should always make an appropriate choice of words, and that parties should be sensitized to consider the feelings of other interest groups in their use of language, so as not to aggravate an already bad situation.