The Federal Government has unveiled 50 locally authored textbooks to address the shortage of high-quality academic resources in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions.
The books were presented on Tuesday in Abuja by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, under the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) Higher Education Book Development Intervention Project.
Alausa emphasized that the initiative aims to reduce Nigeria’s reliance on foreign-published books, which has placed pressure on foreign exchange demand. He highlighted the importance of fostering a culture of quality authorship and local book production to enhance academic development.
“The scarcity of tertiary-level textbooks in Nigeria has reached a crisis level, affecting both the quantity and quality of locally produced materials,” Alausa said. “The TETFund Higher Education Book Development Project was established to tackle this challenge and ensure the availability of relevant instructional materials for teaching and research.”
He noted that the government, through TETFund, is prioritizing the publication of indigenous learning materials to support national growth and improve the global ranking of Nigerian universities.
Speaking at the event, TETFund Executive Secretary, Sonny Echono, reiterated the urgency of addressing the shortage of high-quality academic books in Nigeria.
“This crisis prompted the establishment of the TETFund Higher Education Book Development Project, a bold and visionary initiative aimed at filling this significant gap,” Echono said.
He explained that since 2009, the Technical Advisory Group (TAG), consisting of academic experts, union representatives, and regulatory bodies such as the National Universities Commission (NUC), the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), and the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), has been overseeing the project.
Echono revealed that over 130 manuscripts had undergone rigorous review processes and had been published as textbooks, with more currently under review.
“In 2014, only 14 books were published, and for several years after that, none were produced. However, following the reconstitution of the TAG committee in 2022, significant progress was made, including the publication of 80 TETFund-sponsored books across various disciplines,” he stated.
He further disclosed that in June 2024, the TAG committee reviewed 97 new manuscripts, with many recommended for publication to further enrich academic resources in Nigerian institutions.
