Education

FG Bans Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba In Schools, Declares English Sole Medium Of Instruction

Published

11 months ago

November 13, 2025

The Federal Government has cancelled the national policy mandating the use of indigenous languages like Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba as the medium of instruction in primary schools.

The minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, announced this development at the 2025 Language in Education International Conference, organized by the British Council in Abuja on Wednesday.

In 2022, the Nigerian government approved a National Language Policy (NLP), which stipulates that from Early Childhood Education to Primary Six, the language of instruction will be in the mother tongue or the language of the immediate community.

The policy aims to promote indigenous languages, recognise their equal status, and improve early childhood learning outcomes, while English remains the official language used in later education and formal settings.

Speaking at the conference, Alausa said English is now the language of instruction in Nigerian schools from primary to tertiary levels.

He said Nigerian children had been performing abysmally in public exams as a result of being taught in their mother tongue.

The minister stated that the decision to cancel the policy was based on extensive data analysis and evidence showing that the use of the mother tongue as the primary medium of instruction had negatively impacted learning outcomes in several parts of the country.

“We have seen a mass failure rate in WAEC, NECO, and JAMB in certain geo-political zones of the country, and those are the ones that adopted this mother tongue in an over-subscribed manner.

“This is about evidence-based governance. English now stands as the medium of instruction from the pre-primary, primary, junior secondary, senior secondary and to the tertiary education level.”

“Using the mother tongue language in Nigeria for the past 15 years has literally destroyed education in certain regions. We have to talk about evidence, not emotions,” he said.

According to him, data gathered from schools across the country revealed that students taught primarily in indigenous languages recorded higher failure rates in national examinations and struggled with basic English comprehension.

“The national policy on language has been cancelled. English now stands as the medium of instruction across all levels of education,” he declared.

The minister urged stakeholders with differing views to present verifiable data to support their positions, adding that the government remained open to evidence-based dialogue that would strengthen the education sector.

He commended the British Council for its continued partnership with Nigeria in advancing education reforms and promoting inclusive language and learning policies.

The Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmed, spoke on other areas of focus by the government to address the teaching and learning crisis at the foundational level of education.

Ahmad said a new training package had been designed for teachers to help with literacy and numeracy learning.

”Now we are designing a training package for the teachers that focuses on the learning of literacy and numeracy.

“This is specifically training teachers who teach across the foundation level from pre-primary to primary one to three.

“We are training them how best to teach literacy, how best to teach numeracy, and of course, the approach,” she said.

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Education

Lagos targets 2,500 medical varsity intake, expands capacity

Published

18 hours ago

October 9, 2026

Newsbreak365_Admin

The Lagos State Government is planning to increase the annual student intake of the Lagos State University College of Medicine from about 500 to 2,500 by 2028.

To accommodate the expansion, the government would be repurposing the former CACOVID Centre at Mainland Hospital, Yaba, as additional teaching space for LASUCOM.

The state added that the move was also in line with its plan to transform LASUCOM into a full-fledged University of Medicine and Health Sciences.

The Lagos State Infrastructure Asset Management Agency said the former CACOVID facility was identified as an existing public asset that could be repurposed to provide an interim solution to the space requirements.

The Head of the agency’s Project Management Unit, who represented its General Manager, Yemisi Aderibigbe, said the facility had become under-utilised after the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, making it available for conversion to a new public purpose.

She said the state approved the renovation and expansion in December 2024, with PCP Construction Nigeria Limited appointed as the contractor.

Aderibigbe said, “Work began in March 2025 and covered demolition and site works, structural construction, roofing, walling, fittings and finishes, as well as mechanical and electrical installations for the main and ancillary buildings.

“Today, we are therefore formally handing over this facility to the end users, the Ministry of Health and the Lagos State University College of Medicine for optimal use.”

The Commissioner for Health, Akin Abayomi, described the project as part of the state’s effort to expand capacity to train health professionals as Nigeria continues to contend with the loss of medical personnel to migration.

He said the government’s approach was to expand the domestic pipeline of healthcare professionals while also creating conditions that could encourage skilled Nigerians abroad to return.

The Provost of LASUCOM, Olufemi Idowu, and other officials attended the handover.

The repurposed facility is expected to provide additional capacity for teaching and practical training as the college expands its intake.

Source: punchng.com

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Education

FG pays eight months’ allowance arrears to varsity workers

Published

2 days ago

October 8, 2026

Newsbreak365_Admin

Days after non-academic workers in federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education issued an ultimatum, the Federal Government has announced the release of their eight months’ arrears of the Consolidated Non-Academic Staff Tertiary Institutions Allowance.

The allowance covers January to August 2026.

Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, announced the release on Wednesday.

The payment, according to the minister, signals the Federal Government’s efforts to address staff welfare concerns across the tertiary education sector and ease tensions that could threaten the stability of the academic calendar.

“The release of CONTA demonstrates the administration’s commitment to workers’ welfare and recognition of the critical role played by non-academic personnel in keeping tertiary institutions functional,” Alausa said.

He said the payment was part of the Federal Government’s broader efforts to address legitimate welfare concerns, promote industrial harmony and minimise disruptions to academic activities nationwide.

“The administration will continue to strengthen institutions responsible for developing Nigeria’s human capital. A stable tertiary education system is essential to the country’s socio-economic development,” he said.

Alausa further gave the assurance that the Federal Ministry of Education would sustain consultations with relevant unions, heads of institutions and other stakeholders to resolve outstanding issues.

He appealed for continued cooperation from academic and non-academic staff, institutional authorities and unions.

The minister said that the education ministry would continue to prioritise staff welfare, institutional stability, human capital development and improved learning outcomes.

“The Federal Government remains committed to fulfilling its obligations to personnel in the tertiary education sector and addressing outstanding welfare issues in line with the human capital development objectives of the Renewed Hope Agenda,” Alausa added.

Source: punchng.com

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Education

Edo varsity lecturer dies after hotel romp

Published

2 days ago

October 8, 2026

Newsbreak365_Admin

A senior lecturer at Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Dr Matthew Uwuigbe, has died after reportedly collapsing in a hotel room following a sexual encounter with a 21-year-old commercial sex worker, identified as Angela Defa Jacob.

The incident occurred on Sunday at a hotel in the Mosco area of Ekpoma, Esan West Local Government Area of Edo State.

PUNCH Metro gathered that Uwuigbe had checked into the hotel with the woman and reportedly collapsed moments after the sexual encounter.

Confirming the incident on Wednesday, the spokesperson for the Edo State Police Command, Eno Ikoedem, said three persons had been arrested in connection with the lecturer’s death.

She said, “On October 5, 2026, at about 8pm, the command received a report that Matthew Uwuigbe, a lecturer at Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, had lodged at a hotel in Ekpoma and engaged the services of a 21-year-old sex worker, Angela Defa Jacob.

“He subsequently sent the woman to purchase water for him, and upon her return, she found him lying dead in the room.”

Ikoedem said the hotel owner, manager and the sex worker were in custody, while investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death continued.

She added that the deceased’s corpse had been deposited at the Oriaifo Memorial Hospital mortuary.

Meanwhile, the university’s Public Relations Officer, Otunba Mike Ade Aladenika, confirmed to PUNCH Metro that Uwuigbe was a staff member of the institution, but said the incident occurred outside the university campus.

He said, “We are not denying that he was our staff member, but whatever he did and what happened, it is his private life. The girl in question is not our student, and everything happened outside our institution.”

Source: punchng.com

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