Nigeria's education ministry has not approved history textbook that excludes Igbo community
IN SHORT: Some users on Facebook claim that a new history textbook that omits Igbo history has been approved for Nigerian schools. But the country's education ministry says this is false.
Since 2009, there has been an ongoing debate over the place of history as a school subject in Nigeria.
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The debate began under then president Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, who removed history from the basic education curriculum, reportedly because students were shying away from the subject.
In November 2022, the government brought back history as a separate subject in basic schools. In September 2025, Nigeria made history by making history a required subject in all basic schools.
The government said the move was aimed at building unity, patriotism and good citizenship among young Nigerians.
As a result, any claim about school history is bound to draw attention.
In February 2026, Facebook posts claimed that Nigeria's Ministry of Education had approved a history textbook called Living History for schools.
Some social media users are mainly worried that Igbo history is missing from the textbook. Nigeria's three major ethnic groups are the Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba, and such a claim could spark ethnic tension.
Part of one post reads: " WHO REMOVED THE IGBO FROM NIGERIAN HISTORY TEXTBOOKS? AND WHY ARE IGBO POLITICIANS SILENT? I just saw an approved Nigerian secondary school History textbook where the Igbo tribe is either missing completely or dangerously minimized, as if we are not one of Nigeria's major ethnic nationalities."
The claim appears here and here. (Note: See more instances at the end of this report.)
But has this history textbook been approved for Nigerian schools? We checked.
'Misleading and incorrect'
The Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) checks textbooks for all school levels.
Africa Check checked NERDC's website and official social media accounts and found no news of a new history textbook being approved.
We also checked the education ministry's website and official social media accounts and found no approval for a new history textbook.
On 3 February, the ministry said on the social media platform X that the message was "misleading and incorrect".
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"The Federal Ministry of Education clarifies that the History textbook 'Living History' is NOT approved for use in Nigerian schools. The book was never submitted to NERDC for review and does not appear on the official list of approved History textbooks. Claims regarding approval status or curriculum alignment of 'Living History' are misleading and incorrect. Approved textbooks reflect Nigeria's shared history, cultural diversity, and national values. Verify textbook approvals through official NERDC channels," the ministry wrote.
In a post on X, education minister Tunji Alausa also said the claim was false.
"I wish to state clearly, firmly, and unequivocally that 'Living History' is NOT an approved textbook and has not been recommended for use in any Nigerian school by the Federal Ministry of Education."
