Lagos State Education Ministry Probes Controversial Nursery Textbook, Denies Approval 

Summary: The Lagos State Government’s Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education has officially begun a probe into the viral video showing a mother raising concerns about inappropriate and violent content in a nursery school English textbook. The book titled “English Language Foundation for Nursery Schools” (Volume 2) was authored by Mr Ayengbe Ebhohimen JB. 

The Lagos State Government, through the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, has officially begun a probe into the viral video showing a mother raising concerns about inappropriate and violent content in a nursery school English textbook. This announcement was made in the agency’s official press statement released on Tuesday, April 28, 2026. 

This book controversy began when Ms Mary Queen Udoka, a mother of two, discovered a passage in her five-year-old son’s school assignment titled “Unit 8: The man and the dog.” The book titled “English Language Foundation for Nursery Schools” (Volume 2) was authored by Mr Ayengbe Ebhohimen JB. 

The passage detailed animal cruelty, violence, and many grammatical errors. She was disturbed by the content because it undermined educational value and failed to promote moral lessons. She reported to the school management, but received an unsatisfactory response. Then, she posted a video on TikTok on March 22, 2026, reading the excerpts and seeking public opinion. The video sparked widespread outrage among Nigerians who questioned the suitability of such materials for early childhood education.

In her follow-up video, Mary explained that she had deleted the initial post after receiving repeated threatening calls from unidentified individuals.  Subsequently, she was officially invited to be questioned by the Zone 2 Police Command in Onikan, Lagos, following a complaint from the textbook’s author, Ebhohimen Ayengbe. Her lawyer, Inebehe Effiong, confirmed they would honour the invitation on April 30, 2026.

In response to the book’s controversy, the ministry confirmed that the Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Mr Jamiu Tolani Alli-Balogun, has launched an immediate investigation to verify the textbook’s suitability for young learners. 

“Preliminary findings indicate that the textbook is not among the materials approved for use in public or registered private schools in the state. The school featured in the video has been traced to Ojo Local Government Area, while both the institution and the publisher have been identified for further action,” the statement reads.