English Now Only Medium of Teaching in Nigerian Schools as FG Bans Indigenous Languages

The Federal Government has announced a sweeping reform of Nigeria’s education system, abolishing the use of indigenous languages as a medium of instruction in schools and declaring English as the sole language of teaching from early childhood through tertiary education

Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, disclosed the new directive on Wednesday at the Language in Education International Conference 2025 organised by the British Council in Abuja. The two-day event, themed “Language, Education and Inclusion: Empowering Every Learner,” gathered policymakers, educators, and experts from across Africa, South Asia, and the United Kingdom to discuss the role of language in promoting effective and inclusive learning. Dr. Alausa explained that the decision was guided by the need to improve academic performance and ensure global competitiveness among Nigerian students. According to him, while the preservation of local languages remains culturally valuable, English provides a more efficient and unifying medium for instruction in a diverse country like Nigeria The English language should be used to teach our students at all levels as a means of instruction,” Alausa said. “Over the years, the use of mother tongues in schools has contributed to poor performance in national examinations. The national policy on language has therefore been cancelled. The minister described the move as a shift from “emotional attachment to local identity” toward an evidence-based approach to education, citing research that shows students taught primarily in English perform better in major national examinations such as WAEC, NECO, and JAMB. Reacting to the announcement, the British Council reaffirmed its commitment to supporting inclusive and equitable learning across Sub-Saharan Africa. Julian Parry, Director of English Programmes for the region, said language serves as “a bridge to inclusion, identity, and opportunity,” stressing the need for policies that balance linguistic unity with access to quality education. Chikodi Onyemerela, the British Council’s Director of Programmes in Nigeria, also highlighted the organisation’s Pan-Ethnic Classrooms Programme, launched in 2015, which equips teachers with inclusive and language-responsive teaching skills to better manage diverse classrooms. The new English-only directive marks one of the most significant shifts in Nigeria’s language-in-education policy in decades, potentially redefining how millions of students learn and communicate in classrooms nationwide.