Abstract Physics remains a cornerstone of scientific and technological advancement in Nigeria, yet secondary school students often perform poorly due to traditional, teacher-centered methods. Functional pedagogy, which emphasizes inquiry-driven, activity-based, and problem-solving approaches, is expected to enhance skill acquisition, but its adoption in Nigerian classrooms remains uncertain.This study evaluated the extent of adoption of functional pedagogy in Nigerian secondary school physics classrooms and examined its influence on students' acquisition of physics-related skills, including cognitive mastery, psychomotor competence, and affective disposition.A descriptive survey design was employed. The study population consisted of Senior Secondary II physics students, and a sample of 480 students was selected from 12 schools in Abuja and neighboring states through stratified random sampling. Two instruments were used: the Functional Pedagogy Adoption Questionnaire (FPAQ) and the Physics Skills Acquisition Scale (PSAS). The instruments were validated by experts and found reliable with Cronbach's alpha values of 0.81 and 0.85 respectively. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression at 0.05 significance level. Findings revealed that functional pedagogy was moderately adopted (overall mean = 2.80/5), with relatively higher emphasis on inquiry-based teaching but lower emphasis on laboratory engagement. Adoption of functional pedagogy showed a significant positive correlation with cognitive mastery (r = 0.48, p < 0.01) and strongly predicted psychomotor and affective outcomes (β = 0.52, p < 0.01; t = 5.82, p < 0.01).Study concludes that functional pedagogy adoption enhances physics learning outcomes, improving students' conceptual mastery, laboratory skills, and attitudes. However, its adoption is uneven and requires deliberate strengthening. It is recommended that teacher professional development, affordable laboratory resourcing, curriculum alignment, and examination reforms be pursued to encourage systemic adoption of functional pedagogy in Nigerian physics classrooms.