Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Rapid Fund/Visibilizing Minority Languages in Northern Nigeria (ID: 23081359)

This is an automatically generated Meta-Wiki page. The page was copied from Fluxx, the web service of Wikimedia Foundation Funds where the user has submitted their application. Please do not make any changes to this page because all changes will be removed after the next update. Use the discussion page for your feedback. The page was created by CR-FluxxBot.

Applicant Details

Main Wikimedia username. (required)

Fulani215

Organization

N/A

If you are a group or organization leader, board member, president, executive director, or staff member at any Wikimedia group, affiliate, or Wikimedia Foundation, you are required to self-identify and present all roles. (required)

N/A

Describe all relevant roles with the name of the group or organization and description of the role. (required)

Main Proposal

1. Please state the title of your proposal. This will also be the Meta-Wiki page title.

Visibilizing Minority Languages in Northern Nigeria

2. and 3. Proposed start and end dates for the proposal.

2025-06-30 - 2025-07-30

4. Where will this proposal be implemented? (required)

Nigeria

5. Are your activities part of a Wikimedia movement campaign, project, or event? If so, please select the relevant project or campaign. (required)

Not applicable

6. What is the change you are trying to bring? What are the main challenges or problems you are trying to solve? Describe this change or challenges, as well as main approaches to achieve it. (required)

Language is one of the most beautiful and important aspects of every culture. It provides people with a unique ability to communicate with one another. This will build relationships and create a sense of community, togetherness, and oneness. Many Nigerian languages have these uniqueness in their pronunciations, spellings and intonations. It has become a growing concern that some Nigerian languages are at risk of becoming extinct. As one of the most linguistically diverse countries in the world, aside from Nigeria’s three major languages – Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba, which are predominantly spoken in the North, South-East, and South-West regions of the country respectively, Nigeria has over 500 spoken languages. Unfortunately, most of the major and minor languages have gone or are predicted to become extinct in the next 10 to 50 years. Earlier in 2006, The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) predicted that the Igbo language, one of the three major Nigerian languages, may become extinct in the next 50 years https://journals.co.za/doi/pdf/10.10520/AJA11171421_201. Similarly, a study was carried out in 2018 on the extinction of indigenous languages in Nigeria which came to a conclusion that a lot of Nigerian languages would go extinct in a few years unless proactive steps are taken. Northern Nigeria is a beautiful multilingual region with major and minor languages spreading all over the region.

Below are the List of some Minority languages in Nigeria that are in stage of extinction according to UNESCO

1. Ake language, Spoken in four villages in Lafia LGA, Nassarawa State, Nigeria, with less than 2,000 native speakers as at 2006

2. Alago language Spoken in Awe and Lafia LGA, Nassarawa State, Nigeria, with about 15,000 native speakers as at 2011

3. Bade language, Spoken in northern part of Yobe State, Nigeria with 250,000 native speakers as at 2007

4. Bakpinka language, Spoken in Cross River State, Nigeria with about 4,000 native speakers as at 2006

5. Centuum language, Spoken in Balanga LGA, Gombe State, Nigeria with less than 100 native speakers as at 2011

6. Defaka language, Spoken in Opobo–Nkoro LGA of Rivers State, Nigeria with less than 200 native speakers as at 2001

7. Deguza language, Spoken in Bauchi State, Nigeria with about 2,500 native speakers as at 2003

8. Dulbu language, Spoken in Bauchi LGA, Bauchi State, Nigeria with less than 100 native speakers

9. Fyem language, Spoken in Bauchi and Plateau State, Nigeria with less than 3,000 native speakers

10. Geji language, Spoken in Toro and Bauchi LGAs, Bauchi State, Nigeria with about 1,000 native speakers as at 2005

11. Guruntum, Spoken in Paali and Duguri districts of the Alkaaleeri LGA of Bauchi State with 15,000 native speakers as at 1993

12. Gyem language, Spoken in Bauchi State, Nigeria with about 1,000 native speakers as at 1995

13. Ilue language, Spoken in Cross River State, Nigeria with about 5,000 native speakers as at 1998

14. Jilbe language, Spoken in only one village in Borno State with about 100 native speakers as at 1998

15. Kono language, Spoken in Kona village, Saminaka LGA, Kaduna State, with about 5,000 native speakers as at 2000

16. Kudu Camo language, Spoken in Bauchi State, Nigeria with only 42 native speakers as at 1990

17. Mvanip language, Spoken in Taraba State, with about 100 native speakers as at 1999

18. Ngwaba language, Spoken in Adamawa State, Nigeria, with about 10,000 native speakers as at 1994

19. Polci language, Spoken in Bauchi State, Nigeria, with about 22,000 native speakers as at 1995

20. Reshe language Spoken in Kebbi and Niger State, Nigeria, with about 44,000 native speakers as at 1993

21. Sambe language, Spoken in Plateau State, Nigeria, with only 2 elderly native speakers as at 2005

22. Somyev language, Spoken in Kila Yang village Mambila Plateau, Taraba State, Nigeria, with about 15 native speakers as at 2000

23. Yangkam language, Spoken in Bashar town in Plateau State, Nigeria, with approximately 400 native speakers

The change we are trying to bring through this project is to document, preserve, and showcase the minority languages in Northern Nigeria through Wikipedia. Currently, many articles on minority languages, are stubs or have very weak translations, making them difficult to read and understand. Furthermore, there is a scarcity of information about the Minority Languages in Nigeria. The project goals is to documents and preserve information about minority languages in Northern Nigeria on Wikipedia. This will help indigenous language researchers and lovers to find the necessary information about minority language, thus increasing the readership of linguistic minority on Wikipedia.

To achieve our objective, we will collaborate with linguistic research institutes such as National Institutes for Nigeria Language [NINLAN], Centre for Research in Nigerian Languages, Translation and Folklore Bayero University Kano Branch, Language Development Center [LCD] We believe by partnering with these research institutes, we will ensure the authenticity and richness of the content we create. The project will involve training community members on how to collect, document, and edit information that are directly related to Nigerian Languages.

By addressing these challenges we believe these project will be crucial to foster diversity and inclusion. Promoting multilingual education, community-driven revitalization efforts, and supporting language policies to help ensure these linguistic heritages continue to thrive for future generations through Wikipedia, as a knowledge respiratory.

7. What are the planned activities? (required) Please provide a list of main activities. You can also add a link to the public page for your project where details about your project can be found. Alternatively, you can upload a timeline document. When the activities include partnerships, include details about your partners and planned partnerships.

To address this outstanding issue of Linguistic Minority across Wikipedia and its sister project, this project will implement a series of targeted activities aimed at building editors’ capacity to evaluate sources critically, rescue our indigenous language to danger of becoming extinction, and improve the credibility and readership of Nigerian-related Languages articles on Wikipedia. Each of the activity are carefully designed to align with our overall objectives.

Below are the list of our planned activities

1. Virtual Training Workshops: The project will deliver 4 online training sessions each lasting for 1 hour 30 Minutes, spread across the project period.

What? A series of interactive, hands-on virtual workshops focusing on identifying articles related to Minority Languages and also to recognize promotional content.
Why? As mentioned above in the statement of the problem, Earlier in 2006, The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) predicted that the Igbo language, one of the three major Nigerian languages, may become extinct in the next 50 years.
How? Each session will use real-world case studies, including past National Institutes for Nigeria Language [NINLAN], Centre for Research in Nigerian Languages, Translation and Folklore, Language Development Center [LCD] discussions and many other personal cases to demonstrate issues with Nigerian Linguistic.
Format: Virtual (via Zoom/Google Meet) and attendance will be taking to add all our participants in our WhatsApp group. 2. Field Trips: Conduct field trips to gather data, including historical information and photographs, by touring important places in Northern Nigeria. These trips will enable us to collect authentic and detailed content about various aspects of linguistics minority across the region.
What? A dedicated awareness campaign across Wikimedia Nigeria’s social media channels to highlight our aims and objectives that we are targeted to achieve in this project.
Why? Many Nigerian editors get their news from social media and may not know how to distinguish between journalism and paid promotional content. This campaign will reinforce key lessons from the training in an engaging, accessible format.
How? The campaign will include infographics, short explainer videos, and quizzes about Linguistic Minority.

3. Training Workshops: Organizing 4 sessions of physical training to teach Wikipedia editors how to improve the targeted articles. These workshops will cover skills such as data collection, content creation, Wikipedia editing, and proper citation practices from reliable sources.

4. Writing Contest: Host a writing contest where participants will create and improve the target articles. This contest will encourage active participation and contribute to the quantity and quality of articles about Nigeria languages on Wikipedia. •What? A structured mentorship program where experienced editors provide one-on-one or small-group coaching to new and intermediate editors for proper training implementation.

Why? Training is more effective when participants have ongoing support from experience editors. Many intermediate and newly recruit editors struggle to apply sourcing guidelines on their own after initial training which hinder their effort.
How? Experienced mentors that are working within Wikipedia Minority language across Nigeria and beyond will be paired with mentees via a WhatsApp group for regular discussions, guidance, continue support for the project sustainability.

5. Partnerships: We will collaborate with cultural institutions within Nigeria and beyond such as National Institutes for Nigeria Language [NINLAN], Centre for Research in Nigerian Languages, Translation and Folklore, Language Development Center [LCD] to ensure the authenticity and richness of the information collected. These partnerships will provide access to valuable resources and expertise, enhancing the project's overall impact for long time sustainability.

We believe the designed activities will be effective, because they are designed to provide both immediate impact and long-term sustainability. The targeted online and offline training workshops will equip our editors with practical skills to critically source articles about Nigeria languages and translate them into different versions of Wikipedia, which will give access to the indigenous language of that Particular language access to benefit from our work. The creation of a dedicated Meta-Wiki hub and a comprehensive evaluation handbook will serve as ongoing reference materials, allowing editors to continuously improve their practices even after the training sessions have ended. The mentorship program will ensure that editors receive continuous guidance and support from experienced Wikipedians, which will result to high quality content. The social media awareness campaign will further extend the reach of this initiative, ensuring that key lessons on our indigenous languages are widely disseminated among Nigerian Wikipedia editors. The collaboration and partnership between our team and some research institutes will go a long way in advancing our efforts in achieving our goal towards restoring our minority language.

8. Describe your team. Please provide their roles, Wikimedia Usernames and other details. (required) Include more details of the team, including their roles, usernames, Wikimedia group, and whether they are salaried, volunteers, consultants/contractors, etc. Team members involved in the grant application need to be aware of their involvement in the project.

Yes, I contacted the following experienced editors that are working on promoting indigenous language on Wikipedia to support me in making this project a success. Below are the details of our team members, their roles, Wikimedia usernames, and additional information:

1. Fulani215 (Project Lead)

Details: I'm a long-term volunteer Wikimedian editor, language advocate, content creator Fulani215 have been administrator at Fulfulde Wikipedia. I have organized numerous Wikimedia campaigns that support indigenous language in my community.

Responsibility: I will lead the event, overseeing all aspects of the project to ensure its success.

2. Umargana1 (Facilitator)

Role: Facilitator for Training and Engagement

Details:Umargana1 is a founder of Central Kanuri Wikipedia community and a language advocate that work tirelessly in bringing out Central Kanuri Wikipedia from incubator. He possesses extensive knowledge in writing articles about Nigeria languages.

Responsibility: His role will involve training participants in basic writing articles about Nigeria languages and engaging them in the project.

4. El-hussain14 (Project Anchor)

Details: is a seasoned and accomplished editor with a deep understanding of Wikimedia projects. El-hussain14 Is a founder of Bole Wikipedia Community a minority language in Yobe state, his extensive expertise has been instrumental throughout his career. El-hussain14 has actively participated in numerous impactful Wikimedia initiatives, including Nigeria Wikimedia Community user Group local grant review Committee, Train the Trainers program. He has received multiple awards for his contribution to Wikimedia projects and also serves as facilitator in various Wikimedia initiatives.

Responsibility: He will anchor the program and engage all of our editors through out the project period

5. Igallards7 (Online Facilitator)

Details: Is a Chilean Wikimedian volunteer since 2008 with versatile experience that is always willing to collaborate with local Wikipedia User Group, advocate for linguistic Minority across Africa. Igallads7 is a founder of wiki for Minority, he participate in so many Wikimedia training both at National and International level. He also take part in the administration part of Chile Wikimedia User Group he held the Title of Director.

Responsibility: Igallards7 will serve as a facilitator for the online sessions of the projects, he will ensure that all the online sessions run smoothly and align with the project targets.

Additional Roles of Facilitators to ensure project success:

Content Review and Quality Control: Facilitators will review and ensure the quality of the articles created and improved during the project.
Technical Support: Providing technical assistance to participants, including navigating Wikipedia editing tools and resolving any issues that arise.
Community Engagement: Engaging with the local community to promote the project and encourage participation.
Monitoring and Evaluation: Tracking the progress of the project and evaluating its impact, ensuring that the project goals are achieved accordingly.

9. Who are the target participants and from which community? How will you engage participants before and during the activities? How will you follow up with participants after the activities? (required)

The target participants for this project are primarily from both FULFULDE , KANURI, KARAI KARAI, BOLE, NUPE Wikimedia Community, all as Minority Languages in Northern Nigeria, the remaining target participants include local historians, cultural experts, university students, academics, community leaders, and elders. We also aim to engage women and youth to ensure diverse perspectives and sustainability. To engage participants before the activities, we will conduct awareness campaigns as mentioned earlier via social media, local radio stations, and community meetings. We will partner with local research institutes like National Institutes for Nigeria Language [NINLAN], Centre for Research in Nigerian Languages, Translation and Folklore [CRNLTF] Language Development Center [LCD] to reach potential participants. Preliminary workshops and informational sessions will introduce the project and outline participation methods. During the activities, interactive workshops, field trips, and writing contests will be organized to facilitate hands-on training and motivate contributions. Continuous support will be provided to ensure effective participation. After the activities, we will follow up with participants through regular communication, advanced training sessions, and community-building efforts. Recognition and feedback will be part of our strategy to maintain engagement and celebrate contributions.

10. Does your project involve work with children or youth? (required)

No

10.1. Please provide a link to your Youth Safety Policy. (required) If the proposal indicates direct contact with children or youth, you are required to outline compliance with international and local laws for working with children and youth, and provide a youth safety policy aligned with these laws. Read more here.

N/A

11. How did you discuss the idea of your project with your community members and/or any relevant groups? Please describe steps taken and provide links to any on-wiki community discussion(s) about the proposal. (required) You need to inform the community and/or group, discuss the project with them, and involve them in planning this proposal. You also need to align the activities with other projects happening in the planned area of implementation to ensure collaboration within the community.

Getting feedback and support are the key elements for any project to succeed, we took several important approach.

1. Firstly, I discussed the idea with the Wiki for Minority [WfMin] council members on our Telegram page which I was one of them. We talked about how the project will shaped the future of linguistics minority in Nigeria and align with Wiki for Minority movement in preserving and documenting Linguistic Minority across Wikimedia movement.

2. Secondly, we discussed the idea with the facilitators who will be helping with the project. We talked about what we want to achieve, how to engage participants, and the best ways to carry out the activities.

3. Thirdly, we also reached out to National Institutes for Nigeria Languages [NINLAN], Centre for Research in Nigerian Languages, Translation and Folklore [CRNLTF] Language Development Center [LCD] to share our plans. Both the three research institutes were excited about the project and agreed to collaborate, which will be very helpful for preserving and documenting the history of our linguistic Minority in Northern Nigeria.

4. Finally, we spoke with community leaders from the Fulfulde Wikipedia community user group https://ff.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Hello_ja%C9%93%C9%93orgo. Their input was crucial in shaping the project to make sure it aligns with what the community needs and wants.

The project to reach a wider audience, we posted about the project on the Fulfulde Wikipedia Discussion page and Kanuri Wikipedia Discussion page https://knc.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mana_k%C7%9Dla_Wikipedia_y%C7%9Dn:Shafi_kura https://ff.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Hello_ja%C9%93%C9%93orgo. This allowed other Wikipedians and community members to provide feedback, comments and suggestion which are the key elements in any project to succeed.

12. Does your proposal aim to work to bridge any of the content knowledge gaps (Knowledge Inequity)? Select one option that most apply to your work. (required)

Language

13. Does your proposal include any of these areas or thematic focus? Select one option that most applies to your work. (required)

Culture, heritage or GLAM

14. Will your work focus on involving participants from any underrepresented communities? Select one option that most apply to your work. (required)

Linguistic / Language

15. In what ways do you think your proposal most contributes to the Movement Strategy 2030 recommendations. Select one that most applies. (required)

Increase the Sustainability of Our Movement

Learning and metrics

17. What do you hope to learn from your work in this project or proposal? (required)

Through this project, we hope to learn a lot, starting from preserving, documenting, showcasing and sharing the rich cultural heritage of the multilingual languages across Northern Nigeria. We want to find out the best ways to collect and document local knowledge, making sure it's accurate and interesting for readers on Wikipedia.

We'll also learn about the challenges and opportunities of training and motivating a diverse group of people, including students, academics, researchers and young people, to contribute to this important work. By working closely with local historians, academics, and community leaders, we aim to see how their expertise can enrich our project.

Another key approach we want to understand, is how making more information about linguistic Minority culture available online affects the community. Will it lead to more people reading and engaging into minority language in Wikipedia? We're excited to find out.

Collaboration and partnership are crucial for any project to succeed. We hope to learn how our partnership with research institutes National Institutes for Nigeria Languages [NINLAN], Centre for Research in Nigerian Languages, Translation and Folklore [CRNLTF] Language Development Center [LCD] these collaborations can help us create high-quality content that truly reflects our language history.

Finally, we aim to develop a sustainable model for future projects. This will help us and others replicate our success in different regions and languages, contributing to the global effort to preserve cultural heritage through Wikimedia projects.

18. What are your Wikimedia project targets in numbers (metrics)? (required)

Number of participants, editors, and organizers
Other Metrics	Target	Optional description
Number of participants	100	This includes all individuals attending the training sessions, workshops, and mentorship programs virtually and physically. We anticipate that at least 60% will be new participants who have never attended Wikimedia events before, while 40% will be returning participants with previous engagement in Wikimedia activities.
Number of editors	85	This represents the number of participants who will actively edit Wikipedia as a result of the project.
Number of organizers	4	These will be the individuals responsible for coordinating activities, training, facilitating discussions, and providing mentorship. Organisers will include experienced Wikipedia editors, and resource persons on media literacy to achieved our goals.

Number of content contributions to Wikimedia projects
Wikimedia project	Number of content created or improved
Wikipedia	200
Wikimedia Commons	300
Wikidata	100
Wiktionary
Wikisource
Wikimedia Incubator
Translatewiki
MediaWiki
Wikiquote
Wikivoyage
Wikibooks
Wikiversity
Wikinews
Wikispecies
Wikifunctions or Abstract Wikipedia

Optional description for content contributions.

N/A

19. Do you have any other project targets in numbers (metrics)? (optional)

Yes

Main Open Metrics Data
Main Open Metrics	Description	Target
Mentorship	Train our mentors who will continue guiding editors for the project sustainability.	7
Follow-up discussions with some professional body	Follow-up discussions with key personalities /subgroups/networks to evaluate the long-term impact of the training and development a promising project for all.	3
N/A	N/A	N/A
N/A	N/A	N/A
N/A	N/A	N/A

20. What tools would you use to measure each metrics? Please refer to the guide for a list of tools. You can also write that you are not sure and need support. (required)

We will use Wikimedia Foundation's Dashboard Tool

Financial proposal

21. Please upload your budget for this proposal or indicate the link to it. (required)

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Kqr39dWVw5mCCg7GKgu9UXXvc-JuV780NAhBOlUJBnQ/edit

22. and 22.1. What is the amount you are requesting for this proposal? Please provide the amount in your local currency. (required)

309700000 NGN

22.2. Convert the amount requested into USD using the Oanda converter. This is done only to help you assess the USD equivalent of the requested amount. Your request should be between 500 - 5,000 USD.

1929.95 USD

We/I have read the Application Privacy Statement, WMF Friendly Space Policy and Universal Code of Conduct.

Yes

Endorsements and Feedback

Please add endorsements and feedback to the grant discussion page only. Endorsements added here will be removed automatically.

Community members are invited to share meaningful feedback on the proposal and include reasons why they endorse the proposal. Consider the following:

Stating why the proposal is important for the communities involved and why they think the strategies chosen will achieve the results that are expected.
Highlighting any aspects they think are particularly well developed: for instance, the strategies and activities proposed, the levels of community engagement, outreach to underrepresented groups, addressing knowledge gaps, partnerships, the overall budget and learning and evaluation section of the proposal, etc.
Highlighting if the proposal focuses on any interesting research, learning or innovation, etc. Also if it builds on learning from past proposals developed by the individual or organization, or other Wikimedia communities.
Analyzing if the proposal is going to contribute in any way to important developments around specific Wikimedia projects or Movement Strategy.
Analysing if the proposal is coherent in terms of the objectives, strategies, budget, and expected results (metrics).

Endorse