Nigeria's university starts degree program in Chinese language

At least 25 students have been admitted into the University of Lagos in southwestern Nigeria to study the Chinese language at degree level in the institution, a top official has said. Duro Oni, the university deputy chancellor in charge of management services, disclosed this while speaking at the annual Confucius Institute spring festival gala held to celebrate the Chinese lunar New Year on Wednesday. Oni told Xinhua that the students would be required to spend the first year in Nigeria while the second and third years of the course would be observed at a university in China, adding that the fourth and final year would be observed in Nigeria to complete the proficiency program in the Chinese language. He said learning to speak the language became necessary because China had become the new destination for economic growth and technology development. The deputy chancellor added that the program would bring about effective communication between nationals of the two countries.