The Federal Government has reinstated History as a compulsory subject in the basic education curriculum, aiming to strengthen national identity, unity, patriotism, and responsible citizenship among young Nigerians.
The Federal Ministry of Education disclosed this in a statement posted on its official X account on Wednesday, describing the move as a major step towards reconnecting pupils with the nation’s heritage.
“For the first time in decades, Nigerian pupils will study History continuously from Primary 1 to JSS3, while SSS1–3 students will take the new Civic and Heritage Studies, integrating History with Civic Education,” the statement read.
Outlining the scope of the revised curriculum, the ministry explained that:
“Primary 1–6: Pupils will learn about Nigeria’s origins, heroes, rulers, culture, politics, economy, religions, colonial rule, and post-independence governance.
JSS1–3: Students will study civilisations, empires, trade, European contacts, amalgamation, independence, democracy, and civic values.”
According to the ministry, the reform is a “priceless gift to the nation” designed to inspire pride, unity, and commitment to national development. It added that teachers will undergo retraining, while new teaching resources will be provided and monitoring mechanisms strengthened.
History had been removed from the primary and junior secondary school curriculum following the introduction of the New Basic Education Curriculum in 2007, which was implemented in the 2009/2010 academic session. Authorities at the time cited students’ lack of interest, limited career prospects for History graduates, and a shortage of History teachers as reasons for the decision.
In 2017, the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council announced plans to reintroduce the subject, beginning from the 2018/2019 academic session. By 2022, the Federal Government had initiated the first stage of a teacher training programme to support its return as a stand-alone subject in the basic education curriculum.
