There is a stronger premise to challenge the months of the year in court than challenging Ajami inscriptions on the Nigerian notes, say Secular or Racial grounds.
The Arabic language has a great influence on African languages. After a pastor goes on Facebook to say Arabic is an evil language, says the Ajami script connotes Islamization, he goes to the church and on the altar, he shouts, “Aduraaaaaaaaaa (prayer)” forgetting that is الدعاء ‘Ad-du’a’ in Arabic.
The lawyer who wrote a petition against the supposed Arabic inscription on the naira notes should send a message to the Yoruba-speaking churches to stop using words that originate from Arabic not to Islamize the Christians.
These are some words the Church needs to avoid;
Sábàbí – Sabab سبب (reason, cause)
Kádàrá – qadar قدر (destiny, fate)
Túbá – Taubah توبة (repentance)
Àníyàn – Anniyah النية (intention)
Àléébù – al’aib العيب (fault,defect or demerit)
Sàdánkátà – sadaqta صدقت (bravo, you have spoken the truth)
Sèríyà – shari’ah شريعة (Islamic law)
Àláfíà – al’afiyah العافية (good health, well-being)
Àdúà – ad-dua الدعاء (prayer)
Àlùbáríkà – al-barakah البركة (blessing)
Àsírí – Assirr السر (secret)
Wákàtí – waqt وقت (hour)
Árísìkí – ar-rizq الرزق (good fortune)
These words are frequently used in the Church.
The Arabic language found its way to Hausa and Yoruba lands, at least, 200 years before the English language.
Also, remember that the Sokoto Caliphate was an empire before the coming of the Europeans and the Hausa language had been written in Arabic alphabets (Ajami) before the English language was brought.
The Yorubas cannot compare themselves to the Hausas. The most comprehensive work on the history of the Yorubas was written by a non-Yoruba person, Samuel Johnson in 1921. On the other hand, Bilad-Sudan, Gobir, and then the Sokoto Caliphate had written books and letters not less than a century before the Europeans came to Africa.
Sadly, many of us woke up to Nigeria and we do not bother to understand where we came from. Except we know where we came from, we may not know where we are going to.
Bashir Lucas Samson Lukman
English 
