The Founder of the African Indigenous Language Film Festival AILFF, Mr. Osezua Stephen-Imobhio, has strongly condemned the Federal Governments recent decision to cancel the mother-tongue education policy, describing it as a "direct assault on Nigerias cultural sovereignty and a tragic stride toward cultural extinction."
In a statement issued in Lagos, Stephen-Imobhio dismissed the claim that indigenous languages are responsible for poor educational outcomes, calling it "akin to blaming the roots of a tree for the gardeners neglect." He argued that the policy reversal ignores the real challenges of underfunding and inadequate learning infrastructure, instead opting for what he termed a "culturally suicidal path that disconnects children from their identity and ancestral wisdom."