By Waziri Isa Adam Gwantu
The Nigerian Academy of Letters has called on the Federal Government to urgently adopt and implement a mother-tongue education policy, describing it as “the first pathway to nation-building” in Nigeria.
The call was made on Thursday, 13 August 2026, by Prof. Imelda L. Udoh, FNAL, FLAN, Professor of Linguistics and Nigerian Languages at the University of Uyo, during the 28th NAL Convocation Lecture held at the J.F. Ade Ajayi Auditorium, University of Lagos.
Speaking on the theme, “Mother-Tongue Education Policy: The First Pathway To Nation-Building”q, Prof. Udoh argued that before any lesson is taught, every education system makes a language decision that determines whether a child enters the classroom ready to learn. She defined mother-tongue education policy as a formal government framework for using learners’ first language, home language, or dominant community language as the principal medium of instruction in early years, with a structured transition to English and other languages.
“Nation-building begins with the language through which a child first learns to think, read, and belong,” she said. “Mother-tongue education offers a practical pathway to better learning, wider participation, stronger social cohesion, and sustainable development.”
Prof. Udoh expressed concern over Nigeria’s policy somersault, noting that the country adopted a comprehensive National Language Policy in 2022 and released Implementation Guidelines in 2023, only to reverse course in 2025 before the policy could take effect. According to her, the experience shows that education reform requires more than evidence. “It also depends on political commitment, public trust, institutional capacity, and a clear path from policy to classroom practice,” she stated.
The don said her lecture was designed to move beyond the familiar question of whether Nigerian languages matter, to address how language can be planned, taught, and sustained as part of a national development strategy. Her main recommendation is a “second-generation multilingual education strategy” built around seven key pillars: language mapping, teacher preparation, materials development, public communication, phased rollout, accountability, and evaluation.
She explained that the lecture reviewed international, theoretical, and Nigerian evidence on mother-tongue education, traced the historical development of Nigeria’s language-in-education policy, and addressed common objections to mother-tongue instruction. Prof. Udoh concluded that treating the 2022-2025 policy experience as an implementation lesson is critical to designing a framework that links mother-tongue education directly to learning outcomes, equity, and national cohesion.
She urged policymakers, NERDC, NUC, SUBEBs, and state governments to commit to the new strategy, stressing that sustainable development cannot be achieved when children are forced to learn in a language they do not understand at the foundational level. The professor emphasized that the goal is not to reject English, but to ensure that children first acquire literacy and critical thinking skills in a language they speak at home before transitioning to other languages.
The 28th NAL Convocation Lecture was attended by members of the Academy, academics, and stakeholders in the education sector who described the lecture as timely given Nigeria’s current challenges with learning poverty and national integration.