The Federal Government, through the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, on Wednesday presented 82 academic textbooks authored by Nigerian scholars to enhance teaching and learning in tertiary institutions nationwide.
The event took place in Abuja, where Alausa highlighted that the books were produced under the Higher Education Book Development Intervention Project of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).
An additional 10 textbooks authored by reputable scholars were also secured for distribution to higher education institutions across the country.
“This initiative shows the Federal Government’s commitment to quality education and the promotion of academic excellence in Nigeria’s higher education system,” Alausa stated.
He explained that the project seeks to tackle the chronic shortage of locally authored textbooks in Nigerian tertiary institutions, which has led to heavy reliance on foreign publications.
This dependence strains foreign exchange reserves and discourages indigenous scholarship.
Alausa emphasised the need to support Nigerian academics in creating high-quality, relevant materials, especially in critical fields like science, technology, and engineering, which are vital for national development.
Addressing the authors, he said: “We can liberalise the use of these books so that they become available worldwide. I assure the authors that this is not about money; you have not undertaken this work for profit, but for the pursuit of academic excellence. Therefore, we must find a way to make these books accessible beyond tertiary institutions.”
The Executive Secretary of TETFund, Sonny Echono, described the persistent lack of high-quality tertiary-level textbooks as a long-standing barrier to effective teaching, learning, and research in Nigeria.
“The persistent shortage of high-quality tertiary-level textbooks in Nigeria has long posed a major challenge to teaching, learning, and research,” Echono noted.
“Beyond the issue of limited quantity, there has also been a compelling need to improve the quality of locally produced academic textbooks. It was this concern that led to the establishment of the TETFund Higher Education Book Development Intervention Project.”
He revealed that TETFund has so far published a total of 202 academic textbook titles, with several more under evaluation. Following the presentation, the distribution of over 400,000 copies of these books to beneficiary institutions nationwide would commence.
Echono also announced updates to the project's operational model for better resource management: Authors will now receive monetary honoraria based on content and page count, plus 20 complimentary copies of their books, replacing the former practice of providing 1,000 copies.
The event included a minute’s silence in honour of one of the authors, Valerie Young Harry, who passed away shortly before the presentation.
TETFund Board of Trustees Chairman Aminu Masari described her contribution as a lasting legacy and advocated for commercialisation strategies to enable authors and their families to benefit from their intellectual work.
The initiative forms part of broader efforts to promote indigenous authorship, reduce import dependency in education, and equip Nigerian tertiary institutions with contextually relevant learning resources.
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