A recent report by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), published on February 6, 2025, and featured in The Guardian, reveals that the Minister of State for Education has proposed to the National Council on Education (NCE) the reversal of the mother tongue policy in primary schools.
Additionally, the Minister of Education suggested integrating early childhood, primary, and secondary education to enable students to complete their pre-university studies and gain admission into Nigerian universities by the age of 16.
However, the justification provided by the Minister of State lacks any concrete or compelling reason for reversing the mother tongue policy in primary schools. In fact, rather than being discontinued, this policy should be strengthened and extended even further—potentially up to postgraduate studies—within the next decade or two.
It is worth recalling that, in August 2024, the former Minister of Education sought to implement an existing policy mandating that students should not enter university before the age of 18. This move was met with widespread opposition, particularly from influential groups with vested economic interests in promoting English as the sole medium of instruction in schools—at the expense of Nigeria’s indigenous languages. The same groups now appear to be behind the latest proposals, which seem to be an attempt to appease them rather than to improve the country’s education system.
A proper diagnosis must precede any meaningful solution to educational challenges. The notion that simply prioritizing English instruction will solve Nigeria’s developmental problems is misguided. If proficiency in English were the key to success, then Nigeria—where English is widely spoken—should already be highly developed. Instead, many Nigerians who relocate abroad thrive, not because of their fluency in English, but due to their talents, the well-structured institutions, and the supportive environments they find overseas. Nigeria must focus on building similar structures if it hopes to retain its best minds and reduce the brain drain.
Merely learning English without acquiring practical, marketable skills will not improve the economic prospects of Nigerian students. Fluency in English may make someone a welcome visitor in foreign countries, but it does not guarantee economic opportunities abroad.
Nigeria is a sovereign nation, not a place of confinement where its people must abandon their linguistic and cultural heritage. Globally, language policies are structured to reflect the realities of the population, and Nigeria should adopt a similar approach. Large linguistic communities should use their native languages for communication, including education, within their regions. Those who relocate to other communities should learn the local languages, just as they would if they moved to a foreign country like Japan. As outlined in the Nigerian Constitution, English, Igbo, Hausa, and Yoruba should remain the official languages of business in the National Assembly. In national institutions such as the military and police, English can be used as a common language, supplemented by relevant local languages. English should only be used when there is no common indigenous language, including in contexts where Nigerian Pidgin serves as an alternative.
Thus, English should be utilized based on necessity, not because of the misguided belief that Nigeria lacks indigenous languages capable of serving as instructional mediums in schools.
Oladele Awobuluyi
Retired Professor of Linguistics
Former Acting Vice-Chancellor, Adekunle Ajasin University, Ondo State
February 9, 2025
