Assessing the Feasibility and Consequences of Nigeria’s National Language Policy on Foreign Language Education: A Focus on French and Arabic

Nigeria’s revised National Language Policy of 2022 reaffirms the importance of indigenous languages in education while retaining English, French, and Arabic as strategic languages for national cohesion, regional diplomacy, and global engagement. This paper critically examines the feasibility and consequences of implementing the policy, with particular attention to its implications for the teaching and learning of French and Arabic in Nigerian schools. Adopting a qualitative research design, the study draws on policy documents, historical accounts, educational reports, and relevant scholarly literature to assess the institutional, pedagogical, and sociolinguistic realities shaping policy implementation. Findings reveal a significant gap between the multilingual aspirations of the policy and the operational realities of Nigeria’s educational system. Key challenges include inadequate institutional and infrastructural capacity, severe shortages of qualified and professionally prepared teachers, fragmented and outdated curricula, limited instructional resources, and sociolinguistic attitudes that privilege English over other languages. The study further shows that while French retains strategic value for regional integration and diplomacy within West Africa, Arabic remains largely confined to religious and cultural domains, limiting its broader educational and socioeconomic relevance. Despite these constraints, the policy’s multiligual vision offers opportunities for cultural inclusivity, national integration, and international coopertion. The paper argues that the success of the policy depends on sustained investment in teacher education, curriculum renewal, monitoring mechanisms, and public awareness of multilingualism as a develop-ment strategy. It concludes with strategic recommendations for aligning Nigeria’s linguistic diversity with the goals of global competence, educational equity, and sustainable national development.