By Elizabeth Osayande

French teachers in Nigerian Universities have decried the listing of French language as an optional subject in primary and secondary schools by the Federal Ministry of Education under its National Education Sector Reform Initiatives, NESRI.

The University lecturers who came on the aegis of University French Teachers’ Association of Nigeria, UFTAN, called on the Federal Government to review the new policy in view of the country’s geographical location and the place of French language in the subregion and the globalized world.

The association made this known during its 26th Conference and Annual General Meeting, AGM, at Charriot Guest House, Awka, with the theme “French Language and Employability.”

UFTAN expressed its profound gratitude to the Federal Government of Nigeria and TETFUND, for re-enlisting the Nigeria French Language Village, Badagry, among its beneficiary institutions.

The Association also appreciated the French Embassy in Nigeria for the French Embassy Fund, FEF Project and its proposed establishment of French Resource Centres in several Departments and Units of French across Nigerian tertiary institutions.

The highpoint of this year’s AGM held at the close of the conference, was the election of new executive members to serve the Association for the next two years. The elected executives included: President: Professor Richard Ajah, Vice President: Professor Busari Lasisi, Secretary: Dr. Gracious Ojiebun, Public Relations Officer: Dr. Terry Osawaru, Financial Secretary: Dr. Esther Michael, Treasurer: Dr. Shola Oguntola, Editor: Professor Ngozi Iloh, and Ex-Officio: Professor Mufutau Tijani (Immediate Past President).

The next Conference of the Association, with the theme “Interdisciplinary Approach to French Studies for Global Competitiveness”, will be held in October 2026 at Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Port Harcourt.

The new President of the association, Richard Ajah, PhD is a professor of French, Francophone African literature, cultural studies and digital humanities in the Department of Foreign Languages, University of Uyo, Nigeria where he teaches Francophone African war texts, migrant writing, African graphic novels and BDs among other multimodal texts.

Meanwhile, the new UFTAN President has promised to “reinforce the promotion of French language, reinvigorate capacity building and mentoring for UFTAN members, and strengthen engagements and partnerships with embassies, international organizations, and Francophone African universities among others.”