A Theoretical Framework for Arabic Language Policy in Nigerian Education: Towards a Rights-Based Multilingual Model

The absence of a coherent and rights-grounded Arabic language policy within Nigeria's national education framework perpetuates systemic inequalities in language provision, marginalises the educational rights of millions of Arabic-literate Nigerian citizens, and forfeits strategic opportunities for Arabic to contribute to national development goals. This study develops an original theoretical framework for Arabic language policy in Nigerian education, grounded in language rights theory, critical language policy analysis, and the sociolinguistic realities of Arabic use across Nigeria's geopolitical diversity. Drawing on extensive fieldwork in eight Nigerian states, the research combines elite policy interviews with 40 education ministry officials, Arabic educators, civil society advocates, and community leaders, alongside documentary analysis of national and state education policy instruments, and a nationally representative survey of Arabic language attitudes and needs among 600 Muslim Nigerians. Critical language policy theory, linguistic human rights theory, and multilingual education research form the theoretical architecture of the framework, which is developed iteratively through engagement with empirical findings and stakeholder feedback. The proposed framework reconceptualises Arabic as a civic, academic, and community language with specific policy entitlements that cut across Northern and Southern geopolitical boundaries. It provides policy-makers with principled guidance for curriculum integration, teacher development, examination recognition, and language infrastructure investment for Arabic. Keywords: Arabic language policy, Nigerian education, rights-based framework, multilingualism, critical language policy.