The federal government has unveiled 50 locally written textbooks to address the shortage of high-quality academic resources in Nigerian universities and colleges.
The initiative is spearheaded by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), under the higher education book development intervention project.
The Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, presented the 50 books to the public yesterday in Abuja.
The newly published textbooks, crafted by Nigerian scholars, are set to revolutionise the academic landscape and provide much-needed support for students and educators across the country.
Speaking at the unveiling of the books, the minister said that over time, Nigeria’s tertiary education institutions became dependent on books published outside the country, with the attendant consequences of pressure on the demand for foreign exchange.
He also expressed worry that the quality of most academic publications in the country leaves much to be desired, saying that nurturing the culture of quality authorship and the production of Indigenous books will not only ensure the availability of relevant books in the diverse subject areas that take cognisance of our local environment and sensitivities but will also safeguard national pride and reduce the demand for foreign exchange.
“Scarcity of tertiary-level texts in Nigeria has reached a crisis proportion as evident not only in the quality of books available but also in the quantity of books produced locally. The need to tackle this crisis head-on resulted in the establishment of TETFund’s Higher Education Book Development Project.
“Teaching and research depend on relevant instructional materials such as published books and journals, monographs, and other specialized reading materials as well as e-publishing of books and journals.”
He reiterated the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recognition of the place of education as the main driver of national growth, hence the commitment in funding and policy reprioritization towards content development and capacity building for the staff of our Public Tertiary Education Institutions.
On his part, the executive secretary of TETFund, Arc. Sonny Echono, said the 50 academic textbooks were written by Nigerian scholars and published under the sponsorship of TETFund’s Higher Education Book Development Intervention Project.
According to him, the lack of sufficient, high-quality tertiary-level textbooks has reached a critical point in Nigeria, given the need for such books. He said the shortage is not only seen in the limited quantity of books available, but also in the quality of what is produced locally.
“This crisis prompted the establishment of the TETFund Higher Education Book Development Project, a bold and visionary initiative aimed at addressing this significant gap. To ensure that this initiative was effectively implemented, the Board of Trustees of TETFund took a crucial step in 2009 by setting up the Technical Advisory Group (TAG).
“Members of TAG consist of academic experts drawn from the six geopolitical zones, representatives of academic unions (ASUU, ASUP, and COAESU), as well as representatives of three Regulatory Bodies (NUC, NBTE, and NCC).”
Echono said over 130 manuscripts have successfully passed through rigorous review processes and been published as textbooks, with more manuscripts currently under review.
“For the records, the successes recorded initially were quite negligible, as only fourteen (14) books were published in 2014, and none thereafter. Following the reconstitution of the Technical Advisory Group Committee upon my assumption of duty as Executive Secretary in 2022, tremendous achievements were made, including the production and public presentation of eighty (80) titles of TETFund Sponsored Books in various subjects for tertiary educational institutions.”
He noted that the TAG committee was reconstituted in June 2024, and based on the fresh target set, a total of 97 manuscripts were reviewed, scrutinized, and recommended for publication. Out of these, 50 manuscripts have been published and are now ready for public presentation.
“Another sixty (60) books are scheduled for unveiling before the end of 2025. It is important to also note that, in our efforts to ensure value for money, authors will now receive monetary compensation based on the number of pages in their books instead of the one thousand (1000) copies of their books being given to them,” he added.
On his part, Professor Albert Abegunde, Chairman of the Technical Advisory Group for TETFund on Academic Book Publication and Professional Journal Funding, said the books are all aimed at promoting literacy, preserving culture, expanding technology, encouraging entrepreneurship, fostering research and innovation to build generations.
“The 50 books were commissioned by TETFund to five publishing houses. They are Academic Publishing Centre (APC) Press- University of Calabar, Calabar; APC Press- Uthman-Dan-Fodio University, Sokoto; Ahmadu Bello University Press, Zaria; University of Jos Press, Jos; and Obafemi Awolowo University Press, Ile Ife.
“The 50 TSAB being presented today can be categorized under 9 areas. Specifically, 5 are on Medicine and Pharmacy, 11 are on Art, Culture and Literature, 2 are on Law, 6 on Technology and Engineering, 2 on Mathematics, 7 focus on Agriculture and Environment, 5 on Economics and Management, 1 on Entrepreneurship and Vocational Studies, 3 on Statistics and Research Methods, 7 on Education and General Literacy, and 1 on Security. A book titled, “Pedagogic Principles for Students and Practicing Pedagogues,” has the highest number of pages (1,281). The least being 94 pages.
“They were written by single and joint authors, and coordinating editors. Of these theoretically sound TSAB, 10 specifically contained practical applications with industrial relations, 3 aimed at transformation through good culture and quality governance, while 2 aimed at alleviating food and socio-insecurities,” he said.
He noted that TAG has cleared about 50 more manuscripts for publication, and TETFund has sent some of them to publishing houses. In addition, he said close to 30 manuscripts will be added to this number in the next TAG meeting, while a similar number of manuscripts are undergoing rigorous peer review.
“Within a year’s time, TAG (under the guidance of TETFund) intends to double the number of TETFund textbooks ever published and presented. This will be possible because the Executive Secretary is closely monitoring TAG’s activities towards digitization of the process of manuscript review and creating Open Accessibility to all textbooks.
“Beyond academic book publication, TAG is strategising to identify grey areas of all professions and locate our outstanding indigenous scholars in both local and international environments so that they can publish with us and turn brain-drain into brain-gain.”
