FACT-CHECK: Will Schools in Nigeria Close From November 20, 2026, to March 13, 2027, Because of an Epidemic?
BY: Oluwaseye Ogunsanya
Claim: Schools across Nigeria will close from November 20, 2026, to March 13, 2027, because of a recent epidemic.
Verdict: False.
Full Text:
A message circulating on X and Facebook claims that schools across Nigeria will close from November 20, 2026, to March 13, 2027, because of a recent epidemic. The claim has appeared in several social media posts (here, here, here, here and here), prompting concerns about a possible nationwide school closure.
The message, which uses alarmist language, has prompted questions about whether the government plans to shut schools nationwide in response to an outbreak.
Verification:
The claim comes amid concern following Nigeria’s confirmation of an Ebola disease case. The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare confirmed one imported case of Ebola disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus in the Federal Capital Territory on October 20, 2026. The patient, a 42-year-old woman who had travelled from Uganda to Nigeria, was isolated and treated by Nigerian medical teams.
On October 26, the Federal Government confirmed that the patient had been medically evacuated to Switzerland for further treatment, alongside her husband, who was being monitored as a close contact. Although the evacuation meant that Nigeria no longer had a confirmed Ebola patient within its borders, it did not mean the country had been declared Ebola-free.
The WHO subsequently clarified that Nigeria had not been declared Ebola-free and that health authorities were monitoring 52 contacts who might have been exposed to the virus. The NCDC also confirmed that contact tracing and surveillance were continuing, stressing that the evacuation of the index patient did not mean the outbreak response was over.
These developments confirm an ongoing public-health response to an imported Ebola case. However, the official announcements cited above do not announce a nationwide school closure from November 20, 2026, to March 13, 2027. The fact that Nigeria has not yet been declared Ebola-free does not, by itself, establish that schools have been ordered to close for that period.
What do official school calendars say?
A review of published academic calendars shows that schools in several states are scheduled to continue academic activities during the period covered by the claim.
In Lagos State, the approved 2026/2027 harmonised academic calendar schedules the first term to end on December 18, 2026, with the vacation beginning on December 21. Schools are expected to resume for the second term on January 11, 2027. The calendar also provides for a mid-term break from February 22 to 26, 2027.
Similarly, the Rivers State Ministry of Education’s 2026/2027 academic calendar schedules the first term to end on December 11, 2026, while the second term is expected to run from January 4 to March 25, 2027.
In Ogun State, the 2026/2027 academic calendar schedules the first term to end on December 11, 2026, with schools expected to resume for the second term on January 4, 2027. The second term is scheduled to end on April 2, 2027.
The Federal Capital Territory Universal Basic Education Board’s school-calendar page lists a 2026/2027 calendar, but the dates displayed on the page could not be used to verify the relevant term schedules. Therefore, the specific FCT dates could not be independently confirmed from that source.
The published calendars for Lagos, Rivers and Ogun states contradict the claim that schools in those states will remain closed throughout the period stated in the viral message. However, these state-level schedules do not establish the arrangements in every state. Academic calendars are issued by the relevant education authorities, and local decisions may differ.
Has the government announced a nationwide school closure?
The official Ebola updates reviewed for this report describe measures to contain the outbreak, including isolation, contact tracing, surveillance and infection prevention. They do not announce a nationwide school-closure directive covering November 20, 2026, to March 13, 2027.
The Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation also published a notice on November 22, 2025, rejecting a separate viral message claiming that schools nationwide had been ordered to close from November 24, 2025. The ministry said the earlier message was false and did not originate from the Federal Government, the Federal Ministry of Education, any state ministry of education or a recognised security agency.
That notice concerns a different claim and period, so it does not independently disprove the current rumour. It does, however, reinforce the importance of checking purported school-closure announcements against official government sources.
A nationwide closure of the kind described in the viral post would require confirmation from the relevant authorities. No such directive was identified in the official public-health announcements and school-calendar sources reviewed for this report.
Conclusion:
The claim that schools across Nigeria will close from November 20, 2026, to March 13, 2027, because of a recent epidemic is false based on the available evidence.
Although Nigeria has confirmed an Ebola case and activated public-health response measures, the official announcements reviewed do not establish a nationwide school-closure order for the stated dates. Published academic calendars for Lagos, Rivers and Ogun states also schedule school activities during the period in question.
Parents, students and school authorities should rely on verified announcements from the Federal Ministry of Education, relevant state ministries of education and the NCDC rather than unverified social media messages.
