This article examines the impact of the hegemony of English, as a common
lingua franca, referred to as a global language, on the indigenous languages
spoken in Nigeria. Since English, through the British political imperialism and
because of the economic supremacy of English dominated countries, has
assumed the position of a global language, the impact is felt directly on the
smaller indigenous languages in the areas or societies. The situation in
Nigeria is a case in point and calls for attention. One of the problems
identified in globalisation is the issue of the protection of minority languages
or languages which do not have international base. In Nigeria, the use of the
indigenous languages is of little significance having been dominated and
their functions taken over by English, even when the language policy of the
country is at variance with this. The hegemony of English as a global
language calls attention to the protection of the indigenous languages
spoken therein. This study which uses a descriptive approach is based on
the view expressed in the literature that in a linguistically plural world, the
linguistic rights of every language should be respected. The paper concludes
by advocating respect and full development of all languages as well as
striking a balance between meeting the intercommunication needs of
different groups of people and maintaining linguistic diversity by preserving
the indigenous languages spoken in Nigeria.