By Ghazali Ibrahim
The Federal Government has reintroduced History as a compulsory subject in the basic education curriculum, marking a major policy shift aimed at strengthening national identity, unity, patriotism, and responsible citizenship among young Nigerians.
The Federal Ministry of Education announced the development in a statement posted on its official X handle on Wednesday, noting that for the first time in decades, pupils will now study History continuously from Primary 1 to Junior Secondary School 3 (JSS3).
Senior Secondary School (SS1–SS3) students will take a new subject, Civic and Heritage Studies, which integrates History with Civic Education.
According to the ministry, primary school pupils will learn about Nigeria’s origins, heroes, rulers, culture, politics, economy, religions, colonial rule, and post-independence governance.
Junior secondary school students will study civilisations, empires, trade, European contacts, amalgamation, independence, democracy, and civic values.
“This reform is a priceless gift to the nation, reconnecting children with their roots while inspiring pride, unity, and commitment to national development,” the ministry said.
The statement added that the government has released a revised curriculum, will retrain teachers, provide resources, and strengthen monitoring to ensure smooth implementation.
The move comes after History was dropped from schools in the 2009/2010 academic session under the New Basic Education Curriculum.
The decision was justified at the time on grounds that students were avoiding the subject, limited career opportunities existed for graduates, and there was a shortage of History teachers.
Since then, there have been multiple calls for reversal.
In 2017, the Nigeria Education Research and Development Council announced plans to reintroduce History, and by 2022, the government had launched teacher training initiatives to prepare for its return.
With the subject now formally back, education stakeholders say the reform could help Nigeria’s younger generation better understand the country’s past and shape a stronger sense of national consciousness.
