By Adeola Badru

Nigeria’s long-simmering dispute over the place of indigenous languages in formal education is set to take centre stage as the Senior Staff Club of the University of Ibadan prepares to convene a decisive national dialogue on Wednesday, April 29, 2026.

Framed as the fourth instalment of the club’s monthly intellectual forum, the event, titled, “Education in the Mother Tongue in Nigeria: To Be or Not to Be?,“ arrived at a moment of heightened controversy, with growing public outcry over reports that the National Language Policy could be scrapped.

Organisers stressed the policy, which advocated the use of children’s first languages as the medium of instruction in the early years of primary schooling, has ignited fierce and polarised reactions across the country.

While supporters maintained that mother-tongue education strengthens comprehension and cognitive development, opponents pointed to the practical difficulties of implementation in a nation with more than 400 indigenous languages.

In a statement on Tuesday, the conveners noted that the issue has “drawn intense national scrutiny,” locking educators, parents and policymakers into an increasingly contentious debate over both feasibility and national cohesion.

The forum will be led by Professor Francis Egbokhare, an eminent linguist, specialist in Open Distance Education and former President of the Nigerian Academy of Letters.

Widely regarded as both a veteran researcher and a forthright social critic, Egbokhare is expected to interrogate, in depth, whether the push for mother-tongue instruction represents a workable reform or a misplaced ideal, drawing on decades of empirical scholarship.

Chairing and moderating the session will be Professor Durotoye Adeleke, a distinguished authority in Yoruba literature and film studies at the University of Ibadan.

According to the statement, his academic career has consistently explored the complex interplay between language, culture and national development, an intersection central to the current policy debate.

Adding further weight to the discussion is Professor Clement Kolawole, Vice-Chancellor of Trinity University and a leading expert in curriculum design and language education.

The statement added that with more than 150 academic publications to his name, Kolawole is expected to examine how policy ambitions might realistically be translated into classroom practice.

Bridging theory and governance, Mrs Bamidele Oyinloye, Permanent Secretary at the Oyo State Ministry of Education, will provide an administrative perspective, outlining the practical responsibilities and constraints faced by state authorities tasked with implementing education policy.

The statement, however, noted that, beyond an academic exchange, the gathering is being positioned as a critical national conversation, one that cuts across questions of identity, equity and the intellectual future of Nigeria’s next generation.