The Nigeria French Language Village was established in December, 1991, as an Inter-University Centre for French studies, operating within the ambit of the National Universities Commission (NUC) to provide Language Immersion Programme (LIP), as a domestic alternative to the  mandatory erstwhile  foreign-based ( year-abroad ) component of the B.A/B.Ed French programmes in Nigerian Universities and also the acculturation programme for students of French in Nigerian Colleges of Education.

The NFLV is essentially a service institution which provides unique services to Nigerian Universities (Federal, State and Private) as well as Colleges of Education and lately, some Polytechnics students of Bilingual Secretarial Studies.

Such services enable Nigeria to preserve the much needed foreign exchange which would have been expended on the sponsorship of Nigerian students abroad.

The NFLV is unique, being the only French language institution of its kind in a non-francophone environment.

Since its establishment, the Village has been mobilising available human and material resources to promote the effective study and learning of the French language in Nigeria.