The Federal Government has presented 82 academic textbooks authored by Nigerian scholars as part of efforts to strengthen teaching and learning in tertiary institutions across the country.
The Minister of Education, Maruf Tunji Alausa, unveiled the books on Wednesday in Abuja, describing the initiative as a major step toward improving the quality of higher education in Nigeria.
According to the minister, the books were produced under the Higher Education Book Development Intervention Project of Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund). He added that the fund also secured an additional 10 academic textbooks for distribution to tertiary institutions nationwide.
Alausa explained that the initiative aims to address the shortage of locally authored textbooks and reduce Nigeria’s reliance on foreign publications.
“This initiative underscores the Federal Government’s commitment to quality education and the promotion of academic excellence in Nigeria’s higher education system,” he said.
The minister noted that Nigerian universities and other higher institutions have increasingly depended on foreign textbooks, a situation that places pressure on foreign exchange and discourages local academic authorship.
He emphasised the need to support Nigerian scholars in producing high-quality textbooks, particularly in fields such as science, technology, and engineering, which are critical to national development.
Speaking at the event, the Executive Secretary of Tertiary Education Trust Fund, Sonny Echono, said the project was designed to tackle the persistent shortage of quality tertiary-level textbooks in the country.
Echono disclosed that 72 of the titles were newly authored under the TETFund project, while 10 others were written by established scholars and adopted for use by beneficiary institutions.
He revealed that the fund has published 202 academic textbooks so far, with several others currently undergoing evaluation.
“At the end of today, we will begin the distribution of more than 400,000 copies of these books to beneficiary institutions across the country,” he said.
Echono added that TETFund has also revised the project’s operational guidelines. Under the new arrangement, authors will receive monetary honoraria based on the content and length of their books, along with 20 complimentary copies, replacing the previous system where authors received up to 1,000 copies of their publications.
Earlier at the event, participants observed a minute’s silence in honour of one of the authors, Valerie Young Harry, who passed away shortly before the presentation.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of TETFund, Aminu Masari, described the late author’s work as a lasting legacy and stressed the importance of ensuring that knowledge continues to benefit future generations.
Masari also called for strategies to commercialise the textbooks so that authors and their families can benefit from their intellectual contributions.
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