A compass rose showing the 4 cardinal directions (written in largest letters), the 4 ordinal directions (written in medium-sized letters) and the 8 intercardinal directions (written in smallest letters).
The naming of the six
geo-political zones of the country was not done in compliance with English
language syntax. ‘North-Central’ and ‘South-South’ are misnomers. This short
write up is intended to highlight the error in the two names and advice the
National Conference leadership and delegates to include in their final
recommendations new names for the two geo-political zones affected.
The English language
has four cardinal directions – North (N), East (E), South (S) and West (W),
four intercardinal (or ordinal or intermediate) directions – North-East (NE), North-West
(NW), South-East (SE) and South-West (SW). Between the cardinal and intercardinal
directions there are eight secondary-intercardinal directions, namely, North-North-East
(NNE), East-North-East (ENE), East-South-East (ESE), South-South-East (SSE), South-South-West
(SSW), West-South-West (WSW), West-North-West (WNW) and North-North-West (NNW).
The diagram attached of a Compass makes these sixteen directions clearer.
As can be easily
noticed, ‘North-Central’ and ‘South-South’ directions are conspicuously absent.
They are absent because they do not exist, except in Nigerian non-standard
English coinage. Although ‘North-Central’ is in use in some parts of the United
States of America, that is the only exception to the rule. ‘South-South’ is not
used anywhere in the world as directional terminology except in Nigeria. The term ‘South-South’ is commonly used with
reference to any form of cooperation between two or more developing countries which
are to be found mainly in the southern hemisphere of our planet. For example,
there is South-south economic cooperation between Brazil and Indonesia.
In Standard English,
the South-South Zone should be called the DEEP SOUTH Zone while the
North-Central Zone should be called CENTRAL Zone or, as the people of the zone
prefer to be called, the MIDDLE BELT Zone. I therefore request that delegates
from the two affected Zones and/or the leadership of the National Conference propose
a motion for the adoption of these changes of names. It is also my sincere wish
that the change of names will come along with the restructuring of the country
into regional governments currently being canvassed for by the SW, SS, SE and
NC geo-political zones.
Written by James Pam.
