Federal Gov’t Unveils 50 Local Textbooks For Tertiary Education

The Federal Government has unveiled fifty locally-written textbooks aimed at addressing the critical shortage of high-quality academic resources in Nigerian universities and colleges. This initiative is led by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) through the Higher Education Book Development Intervention Project.

The 50 books, all authored by Nigerian scholars, were presented to the public by the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, in Abuja on Tuesday.

Speaking at the unveiling ceremony, the Minister emphasized the long-standing dependence of Nigeria’s tertiary education institutions on foreign-published books, which has led to pressure on foreign exchange. He expressed concern over the quality of local academic publications and stressed the importance of nurturing quality authorship within the country. He noted that developing indigenous books would help address both the availability and quality of resources, while reducing the reliance on foreign exchange.

“Scarcity of tertiary-level texts in Nigeria has reached crisis proportions, evident not only in the quality of books available but also in the quantity of books produced locally. The need to address this issue led to the establishment of TETFund’s Higher Education Book Development Project,” Dr. Alausa remarked.

He added that the government is focusing more on supporting local publication efforts through TETFund to provide adequate learning materials for students in tertiary institutions. Alausa also reiterated President Bola Tinubu’s administration’s recognition of education as a key driver of national growth, highlighting its commitment to funding and policy development to improve educational content and capacity building in public tertiary institutions.

TETFund’s Executive Secretary, Arc. Sonny Echono, explained that the initiative was spurred by the insufficient availability of high-quality textbooks for tertiary education in Nigeria. He disclosed that the Technical Advisory Group (TAG), which was set up in 2009, has been instrumental in reviewing and recommending manuscripts for publication.

“Since my assumption of office in 2022, we’ve made significant progress, including the production and public presentation of 80 titles sponsored by TETFund in various fields. Over 130 manuscripts have undergone rigorous review, and 50 of them are being unveiled today,” Echono said. He also noted that another 60 books are set for unveiling by the end of 2025.

Professor Albert Abegunde, Chairman of the TAG, explained that the newly unveiled books cover a wide range of disciplines, including medicine, pharmacy, law, technology, agriculture, economics, and education, among others. He added that more manuscripts are being prepared for publication in future meetings.

The Chairman of TETFund’s Board of Trustees, Alhaji Aminu Bello Masari, expressed gratitude for President Tinubu’s commitment to prioritizing the education sector. He also commended the transparency and integrity with which TETFund has executed its mandate in compliance with federal regulations.

This initiative marks a significant step in enhancing the availability and quality of educational resources in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions, fostering academic growth, and reducing reliance on foreign publications.