Director says graduates risk invalid qualifications as government pushes local language immersion programme
By Heapnews
The Director of the Nigerian French Language Village (NFLV), Samuel Kolawole, has warned parents and tertiary institutions against sending students to unaccredited French-language institutions in neighbouring countries, saying the practice leaves graduates with qualifications that may not be recognised in Nigeria.
Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the NFLV 2026 Stakeholders’ Meeting and Conference in Badagry, Lagos State, Kolawole said the Federal Government requires all university students studying French to undergo a two-semester language immersion programme at the Nigerian French Language Village before graduation.
He said the policy was designed to produce graduates capable of representing Nigeria in diplomacy, trade, education and cultural exchanges.
“Our dream as a nation is to produce world-class French graduates who can represent Nigeria in diplomacy, education, trade and culture,” Kolawole said.
“That dream is under threat when we send these students to unrecognised and unaccredited institutions outside Nigeria.”
Kolawole said students who enrolled in institutions not recognised by the Nigerian government or the National Universities Commission risked returning with qualifications that offered little academic or professional value.
He said many parents spent heavily on tuition, accommodation and living expenses abroad, only for students to return with certificates that were not recognised, resulting in financial losses and emotional distress.
The director also raised concerns over the quality of some foreign institutions, saying many lacked qualified lecturers, language laboratories, adequate accommodation and student welfare services.
He urged universities and parents to comply with the Federal Ministry of Education’s directive by enrolling students in the NFLV’s immersion programme instead of sending them to institutions in neighbouring countries.
Kolawole described French as a strategic language for Nigeria’s engagement with its Francophone neighbours, saying demand for French-speaking professionals was growing across diplomacy, regional organisations, trade and security.
He pledged that the NFLV would continue to provide transparent reporting on students’ attendance, performance and language proficiency, while ensuring timely processing of examination results and certificates.
Kolawole said the institution had also begun benefiting from interventions by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) following the approval of a waiver, enabling it to improve infrastructure, strengthen faculty development and expand research activities.
However, he said rising operating costs, including electricity, diesel and facility maintenance, remained a major challenge.
Chairman of the NFLV Governing Council, Labiru Kafur, said proficiency in French opened career opportunities in embassies, the military, security agencies, diplomacy and international business.
The chairman of the conference’s local organising committee, Omolegbe Laditan, said the institution had upgraded two language resource centres, expanded hostel accommodation and launched an e-learning platform to support blended language instruction.