As debate intensifies over the Federal Government’s recent decision to cancel the use of mother tongue as the language of instruction in schools, education and governance experts have called for an urgent reversal of the policy, stressing its cultural and academic implications.

Dr. Peter Ogudoro, Managing Consultant at Ogudoro Leadership Trainers and founder of the Nigerian Teachers Community, described the move as “hasty and less thought-out,” arguing that it undermines Nigeria’s rich linguistic heritage. Speaking to the Daily Independent, Ogudoro said, “You can’t sit in Abuja and write off all the languages of Nigeria and impose a foreign language on the country. That’s a big mistake. This needs to be reversed, and if necessary, the government should apologise to Nigerians for even attempting to make it look like our indigenous languages are not important.”

According to Ogudoro, language is central to culture and societal strength. He cautioned that the decision appears to have been based on a misinterpretation of public examination statistics. “They probably took a correlational study and extrapolated beyond what the data provides,” he explained. “The major factors behind poor performance in exams are not whether children are taught in their mother tongue, but that we are not teaching effectively. Education must be properly managed if we want to address broader national challenges.”

Dr. Femi Mosaku-Johnson, an expert in Corporate Governance and Education in Nigeria, also condemned the policy shift, describing it as “totally unacceptable to a well-informed society like Nigeria.” He warned that sidelining mother tongue instruction could negatively affect children’s cognitive development, academic performance, and cultural identity, with far-reaching consequences for society as a whole.

Both experts emphasised that education is the backbone of national development, urging the government to reconsider its approach and prioritise culturally grounded, evidence-based strategies to strengthen Nigeria’s education system.

The call for reversal underscores growing concern among stakeholders that abandoning indigenous languages could weaken both the country’s cultural heritage and the quality of education for future generations.