1.Preamble

• We, the undersigned linguists, educationists, researchers, writers, and concerned citizens, wish to express our deep concern over the Federal Ministry of Education’s reported intention to reverse or suspend the implementation of the National Language Policy (2022).
• This move represents a policy summersault that risks undermining decades of work by scholars, teachers, and communities to establish a fair and effective language-in-education policy reflecting Nigeria’s multilingual reality.

2. Why this Matters

The National Language Policy (2022) fulfills the vision of the National Policy on Education by ensuring that:

• Every Nigerian child learns first in their mother tongue or the language of their immediate environment.
• Nigerian languages are preserved and promoted as vehicles of knowledge and identity.
• The country meets international obligations under UNESCO and Sustainable Development Goal 4 (Quality Education).

3. Reversing this policy would:

• Jeopardize educational inclusion and equity, especially for children in rural and indigenous communities.
• Undermine national unity and cultural identity.
  
  Contradict global best practices which show children learn best in their first language.
•    Waste public resources already committed to teacher training, material development, and language research.
•   Erode public trust in the continuity and seriousness of education policy in Nigeria.

4. Our Call to Action

We therefore urge the Federal Ministry of Education to:

• Retain and strengthen the National Language Policy (2022) rather than reverse it.
•  Fully implement Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) across the federation.
•  Provide sustained funding and capacity building for teachers, linguists, and curriculum developers.
•  Engage stakeholders and experts in transparent dialogue rather than unilateral reversal.
•  Uphold Nigeria’s educational vision for inclusive and quality learning for all.

5.    Our Stand

• The National Language Policy (2022) is not just a document - it is a promise to Nigerian children.
• It embodies our shared belief that education is most powerful when it begins in the language of the learner’s heart and home. It took decades of work and research to develop it.
• We stand together to say NO to policy reversal, and YES to sustaining and implementing the 2022 National Language Policy for the advancement of education, identity, and national development.

Initiated by:

Linguistic Association of Nigeria (LAN)
Contact: Professor Greg Obiamalu 
Secretary, Linguistic Association of Nigeria
+234-806-781-3696
go.obiamalu@unizik.edu.ng 
www.lan.org.ng
Nigeria, 2025