The establishment of the Nigerian National Commission for Nomadic Education in 1989 created wider opportunities for an estimated 9.3 million nomads living in Nigeria to acquire literacy skills. This commission was struck to address low literacy rates among pastoral nomads and migrant fishermen, which put literacy rates at 0.28 percent and 20 percent respectively (FME, 2005). To improve the literacy rate among Nigeria's nomadic populations, the National Commission for Nomadic Education employed various approaches such as onsite schools, 'shift system' schools with alternative intake, and Islamiyya (Islamic) schools, to provide literacy education to its nomads. A critical appraisal of these approaches by the commission, however, shows that very few of the schools were actually viable. This paper explores why these approaches have not notably helped to improve the literacy rate among Nigeria's nomadic people. Thus, there remains a need for alternative approaches to educational delivery. In face of the revolutionary trends taking place in information and communication technologies (ICTs) in Nigeria, there is now opportunity to embrace mobile learning using low cost mobile technologies (i.e., mobile phones) to enhance the literacy rates among Nigeria's nomadic people, some of whom are enrolled in Nigeria's current Nomadic Education Programme. Indeed, mobile telephones with simple text messaging features, for example, are prevalent in many parts of Nigeria. This paper explores the needs and advantages of integrating mobile learning into Nomadic Education programmes in Nigeria to ensure a successful implementation and achievement of the goals of the programme.

1. Background of the Study Nigeria is committed to the actualization of Education for All (EFA) and Sustainable Development Goals intended to achieve 100% enrollment and completion of basic education by all citizens within the soon coming years, no matter their life circumstances. This commitment has become more relevant with statistics showing that seventeen (17) out of thirty-seven (37) States in Nigeria could not achieve the Education for All goal 4 by 2015, because they had youth and adult literacy rates between 14.5 to 49.3%. These included mainly the northern States which had considerably large population of pastoralists and rural learners. A two pronged approach to literacy was envisioned to accelerate the process through significant advocacy and investments that would ensure wider access and inclusion of out-of-school children, youths and adults in adequate basic education and effective learning opportunities, to develop literacy skills: First was the development of a policy guideline for adult and non-formal education to set up structures for promoting diverse learning through the guideline. This approach was actualized to include the multilingual dimension to literacy education that would validate the pivotal role of languages in achieving the skill expectations (NMEC, 2017). The second approach was to dispel the narrow-mindedness and uncertainty about local languages and eradicate the often hidden attempt to discredit them as being an obstacle to learning and acquisition of literacy skills (Qane and Glanz, 2010).

Various teaching methods and approaches have been researched and used in nonformal education, but the abstract technique of songs and music is uncommon. The peculiar characteristics of adult learners make teaching and learning to be complex. This study is experimental. Seventy-six (76) adult learners were purposefully selected and divided into two groups of thirty-eight (38) each. Group A was exposed to songs in both Nupe and English language over a period of time. Observation and narrative methods were used to study the effect of songs and music as a tool for the facilitating of learning among adults’ learners. The facilitators encouraged the learners to identify new words which were written separately on boards to spell and pronounce. Learners in Group B were exposed to the normal learning process of using primers to facilitate learning. At the end of one month, both groups were examined and evaluated. Data were analyzed using percentage. The results of the experiment showed that the learners in Group A exhibited more than 80.0% of success in assimilation as against Group B with 38% success when both were examined. 31 out of the 38 (81.5%) learners from Group A can identify and read fairly with little assistance while 14 learners from Group B (36.8%) can read in relation to music played and identification of words identified and written on board by the facilitator. Group A members were more enthusiastic to learn as they were involved in generating means of learning; they were able to identify words and produce sentences from the words written on the board. The study also showed that songs and music produce a psychotherapeutic effect that soothes the learning process and produce a positive outcome while teaching adult learners. The paper recommends the inclusion of local songs and music into the non-formal education curriculum. Also, facilitators should be more creative in the teaching and learning process of adult education.

The story of Adult education in Nigeria is not complete without the activities of itinerant Islamic scholars and traders dating as far back as the 14 th century. The Methodist mission, the Church Missionary Society (C.M.S) and other Christian churches pioneered what can be termed as "modern literacy" in Nigeria. The major difference between the activities of Islamic missionaries and Christian missionaries is the acceptance of western education in the south and its rejection in the north. Despite this early involvement in literacy activities, illiteracy still persists in Nigeria. Literacy developments efforts in Nigeria include collaboration with UNESCO in the establishment of an Adult Literacy Institute in Ibadan. In 1965, the University of Ibadan started the training of professional adult educators. Other initiatives include pre-primary education, primary education, the first three years of secondary education (JSS), and literacy for adolescents, adults and women's education. To help improve literacy development situation, the International Community on Education has put forward a 12 points benchmark on literacy delivery. With the current rate of illiteracy and the fact that the deadline of 2015 which was earlier scheduled for halving the illiterates population could not be met, the credibility of the government activities, most especially in the area of funding, commitment, programmes, strategies and the institutions established on the success or otherwise on the benchmarks as far as Nigeria is concerned has been called into question. Using relevant literature on the topic and personal experience of the researcher, this paper is written, to access Nigeria's performance in the realization of these benchmarks. However, it established the problems and offers possible recommendations that if applied, would put the country on track again as post 2015 literacy development strategy.