In a renewed effort to address the critical shortage of high-quality academic resources in Nigerian Universities and Colleges, the Federal Government has unveiled fifty (50) textbooks written by Nigerian authors for tertiary institutions.
The initiative was spearheaded by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) under the Higher Education Book Development Intervention Project.
The Minister of Education, Maruf Tunji Alausa, who presented the books to the public on Tuesday in Abuja, noted that over time, tertiary institutions in the country have depended largely on books published outside Nigeria.
Expressing concern over the poor quality of most academic publications in the country, Alausa emphasized that nurturing a culture of quality authorship and producing indigenous books would not only ensure the availability of relevant learning materials but also safeguard national pride and reduce dependence on foreign exchange.
He said: “The 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 led to 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.”
The Minister disclosed that the government was placing greater emphasis on academic publication through TETFund to provide adequate indigenous learning materials in tertiary institutions.
The Executive Secretary of TETFund, Arc. Sonny Echono noted that the TETFund Higher Education Book Development Project was established to address the gap created by the insufficient availability of high-quality tertiary-level textbooks in Nigeria.
To ensure the effective implementation of this initiative, the Board of Trustees of TETFund took a crucial step in 2009 by setting up the Technical Advisory Group (TAG).
Echono revealed that over 130 manuscripts have undergone rigorous review processes and have been published as textbooks, with more manuscripts currently under review.
“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).
“Following the reconstitution of the Technical Advisory Group Committee after my assumption of duty as Executive Secretary in 2022, significant achievements were made, including the production and public presentation of eighty (80) titles of TETFund-sponsored books in various subjects for tertiary institutions.
“The TAG Committee was reconstituted in June 2024, and based on the fresh target set, a total of ninety-seven (97) manuscripts were reviewed, scrutinized, and recommended for publication. Out of these, fifty (50) manuscripts have been published and are now being presented to the public today.
“An additional sixty (60) books are scheduled for unveiling by the end of 2025. It is also important to 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 receiving 1,000 copies of their books.”
The Chairman of the Technical Advisory Group for TETFund on Academic Book Publication and Professional Journal Funding, Albert Abegunde, said that the books were aimed at promoting literacy, preserving culture, expanding technology, encouraging entrepreneurship, and fostering research and innovation to build future generations.
According to him, five of the books focus on Medicine and Pharmacy, eleven on Art, Culture, and Literature; two on Law, six on Technology and Engineering; two on Mathematics, seven on Agriculture and Environment, five on Economics and Management, one on Entrepreneurship and Vocational Studies, three on Statistics and Research Methods, seven on Education and General Literacy, and one on Security.
Abegunde added that TAG has cleared about fifty more manuscripts for publication, and TETFund has sent some of them to publishing houses.
“Additionally, close to thirty manuscripts will be added to this number in the next TAG meeting, while a similar number of manuscripts are undergoing rigorous peer review.”
The Chairman of the Board of Trustees of TETFund, Aminu Bello Masari, expressed delight at the Fund’s ability to consistently discharge its obligations with integrity, transparency, and full compliance with the Federal Government’s regulations.
