August 21st, BBC Pidgin launched today as part of the biggest expansion of the World Service since the 1940s.BBC Pidgin the first African digital service will provide impartial news, current affairs and analysis of Nigeria, West and Central Africa - as well as international news from the BBC’s global network of correspondents. New programming will also feature a specially commissioned drama which will illustrate the beauty of the language and the fun people have in following the language

World Service Director Francesca Unsworth said:

“For more than eighty years the BBC World Service has brought trusted news to millions across the globe. Simeon Zagonde, a Lagos resident, said, “Personally to me, I don’t subscribe to it but not everyone understands English, to me it’s welcome for those who cannot speak English or any native language.”

Another resident, Helen Mojisola, said, “It depends on their service and the sweetness of the word pronunciation, it’s a great one but if they don’t handle it well, it may not work.”

Already, the BBC Minute (English), launched in 2015, and the BBC World Service are partnering with local radio stations in countries around the world where partners take BBC Minute and air them on their own stations, including other versions like the ‘BBC Minute On..’ which focuses on a single subject in more detail. There is no official figure as to the precise number of Pidgin speakers in Nigeria but estimates say as a second language, it is spoken by about half of the population – up to 75 million people. • Widely used in Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea

It is hard to know the exact number of Pidgin speakers, as it is not formally studied in schools and is spoken with varying degrees of proficiency.
The director of the BBC World Service says it is prepared for the North Korean government's reaction over the targeted launch of a radio service on North Korea in September, despite the recent international tensions. The North Korean embassy in London has already told the BBC "in no uncertain terms" that Pyongyang does not want any such service.