Nigerian Government Debunks Claims of Indigenous Language Ban in Schools

The Nigerian Government has denied banning indigenous languages in schools, clarifying that their use as the main medium of instruction will be limited to ensure students are adequately prepared for national examinations in English.

Speaking in an interview, the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa explained that a policy introduced three years ago had argued that children learned more effectively when taught in their mother tongue.

According to him, the policy was unevenly implemented nationwide with the Southern and North-Central regions failing to adopt it, while the North-West and North-East over-implemented it by extending it beyond the approved levels.

Mr Alausa said that although the policy was reversed, students would continue to study one indigenous language as a subject from pre-primary level through to university.

The clarification follows the Government’s November 2025 decision to scrap the national policy mandating the use of indigenous languages as the main medium of instruction, which drew reactions from stakeholders. 

Educationist experts and analysts have urged the government to reconsider,  warning that some languages had gone into extinction due to lack of active usage.

Nigeria’s official language is English but the country is estimated to have over 520 local indigenous languages, making it one of the largest linguistically diverse countries in the world.

By Safiya Muhammad Bello.