The educational and linguistic rationales for designing an adult English-as-a-Second-Language literacy program based on phonics are discussed, with specific reference to an Ibibio adult literacy program in Nigeria. An introductory section gives an overview of Nigerian policy and practice concerning literacy education. Next, the phonics approach to reading and the language experience approach to second language learning are explained. A third section addresses the role of Ibibio sounds in teaching English pronunciation. Some comparisons are made between the two phonological systems, and specific areas in which English phonology should be emphasized are identified. Strategies for teaching initial reading are then outlined. Prerequisites for phonics-based learning are noted (motivation and encouragement, visual and auditory discrimination) and techniques for teaching consonants and vowel sounds are described. Classroom principles and procedures for using the language experience approach are then enumerated. A concluding statement emphasizes the need to approach adult second-language literacy instruction with extra consideration for adult learner characteristics, including physiology, native language interference, and self-consciousness. A brief bibliography is included. (MSE) (Adjunct ERIC Clearinghouse on Literacy Education)