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Dons Throw Weight Behind FG Policy On Mother-Tongue Teaching

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The Federal Executive Council on Wednesday approved a new national language policy for primary schools.

The policy makes mother tongue a compulsory medium of instruction from primary one to six.

The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, revealed this while briefing State House correspondents shortly after this week’s Federal Executive Council meeting, chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.

Adamu revealed that the mother tongue would be used exclusively for the first six years of education, after which it would be combined with the English language in Junior Secondary School one.

He said, “A memo on the national policy was approved by the council. So, Nigeria now has a national language policy, and the details will be given later by the ministry.

“One of the highlights is that the government has now agreed that primary school instruction, for the first six years of learning, will be in the mother tongue.”

The minister noted that the government knew that implementing the new policy would be difficult.

According to him, though the policy has officially taken effect, the FG needs time to develop instructional materials and employ qualified teachers to implement it fully.

He reiterated that the most dominant language spoken by the host community would determine the mother tongue used in each school.

Reacting, the Head of the Department of Mass Communication at the University of Lagos, Prof. Adepoju Tejumaiye, believes that the country will gain nothing from the policy until young parents start speaking the original language to their children.

Tejumaiye said, “It is a good one; we tend to learn better and faster using our mother tongue. China and India have done the same thing. I just hope we Nigerians can implement it. The problem arises when you decide to use your mother tongue at the end of the day, but these children were raised with the English language at home. How are we going to turn them back to their mother tongue as the primary one?

“I know who we are, but instead of speaking Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa to them from cradle, we implement it the wrong way. We may achieve nothing other than that young parents of today begin to speak the original language to their children at a young age.”

Also, an academic linguist at the University of Ibadan, Prof. Francis Egbokhare, said sustenance was important.

Speaking as a member of the committee pressing for the adoption of the mother tongue language, Egbokhare said, “I am happy about the first real language policy. The more languages you learn, the better; it has a cognitive advantage. It does not undermine small group; we have been on it since 2018.”

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JUST IN: Chaos At PDP Caucus Meeting As Security Operatives Forcefully Eject Members [VIDEO]

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The caucus meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) turned chaotic on Monday after security operatives forcefully removed some members from the national executive committee (NEC) hall.

The meeting was scheduled to take place at the NEC hall of the party’s headquarters in Abuja, with members already arriving at the venue.

Two individuals were ejected by security personnel following claims by some protocol officers that they had no authorization to be present at the meeting.

During the confrontation, a glass door was broken while the members were being dragged out.

“Are you NWC member?” shouted Chinwe Nnorom, national director of publicity, before the individuals were taken out of the venue.

Earlier in the day, security personnel had taken control of the PDP headquarters and stopped members of the board of trustees (BoT) from accessing the NEC hall for their scheduled meeting.

As a result, the BoT moved their meeting to the Yar’Adua Centre located in the central business district of Abuja.

In recent weeks, the PDP has been embroiled in increasing drama and new developments amid its internal crisis.

Watch VIDEO HERE

 

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BREAKING: Security Operatives Block PDP BoT From Meeting At Party Headquarters

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Security operatives have barred members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees (BoT) from holding their meeting at the party’s national headquarters in Abuja.

The security personnel stopped the BoT members from accessing the National Executive Committee (NEC) hall where the meeting was scheduled to take place on Monday morning.

The BoT has subsequently relocated the meeting to the Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja’s Central Business District.

 

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Nigerian Medical Student Hails “Inspiring” Encounter With President Tinubu, St. Lucian PM Pierre

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For Nigerian medical student Bob Chikwem Amadi, what started as a routine work assignment turned into an unforgettable experience with two world leaders — President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Nigeria and Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre of Saint Lucia.

Amadi, currently studying medicine at the American International University in Saint Lucia, was part of the service team present during President Tinubu’s courtesy call to Prime Minister Pierre’s official residence on the second day of the Nigerian president’s state visit to the Caribbean nation.

Originally from Rivers State, Amadi has lived in Saint Lucia for ten years and recently completed the four-year basic phase of his medical education. He is now preparing to begin his clinical training.

Alongside his studies, Amadi also works part-time as a talent and brand manager with a local catering and entertainment company — a role that brought him close to the high-level diplomatic event.

During the visit, Prime Minister Pierre was informed by his aides that one of the staff members was a Nigerian student.

Taking a brief moment before his official engagements began, the prime minister introduced Amadi to President Tinubu.

The president, known for his engaging nature and interest in Nigerians living abroad, took time to speak with the young student, asking about his name, background, and academic journey.

Tinubu extended his best wishes and words of encouragement, praising Amadi for his dedication to his studies overseas.

Describing the experience, Amadi said it was “an inspiring moment” for him.

“Saint Lucia is an amazing island. I will describe it as a wonderful place. They are a very contented society and things are relatively calm”, he said.

The moment was capped off when Amadi was invited to join President Tinubu and Prime Minister Pierre for a group photograph — a symbolic and memorable close to a chance meeting with two major political leaders from Africa and the Caribbean.

Amadi also reflected on the strong historical and cultural ties between Nigeria and Saint Lucia.

“We have always hoped that there are many opportunities between Saint Lucia and Nigeria. We share similar food crops and culture, and the connection is deep”, he said.

President Tinubu’s visit to Saint Lucia marks the beginning of a broader diplomatic tour of the Caribbean and South America, focused on enhancing trade, cultural ties, and diplomatic collaboration between Nigeria and Caribbean countries.

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