Follow Us on Google
By Damiete Braide
A former President of the Booksellers Association of Nigeria, Dare Oluwatuyi, has raised concerns over the Federal Government’s new textbook ranking policy and increased review fees by the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), warning that the measures could threaten Nigeria’s book industry and increase the financial burden on parents.
Oluwatuyi, who is also the immediate past Chairman of the Nigerian Book Fair Trust, said although the government’s decision to strengthen textbook quality control was understandable, the implementation of the policy could have serious consequences for publishers, authors, printers, booksellers, schools, students and the wider economy.
He said the new NERDC review fee of N1,500 per page, alongside a proposed N750,000 ranking fee per subject, would significantly increase the cost of producing educational materials.
According to him, a 200-page textbook would attract N300,000 in NERDC review charges, while the additional ranking fee would bring the total regulatory cost to N1.05 million before printing, distribution or marketing.
Oluwatuyi argued that publishers seeking to produce books across the full curriculum could face regulatory costs running into tens of millions of Naira, with the fees reportedly non-refundable even when a book fails to secure approval or make the final ranking.
He warned that the financial burden could force small and medium-sized publishers out of the market, while discouraging new investment and threatening jobs across the publishing value chain.
The former BAN president also expressed concern over the proposed limitation of approved textbooks to 10 titles per subject, arguing that the policy could reduce competition and create an environment dominated by a few large publishing companies.
He noted that publishers could invest heavily in developing and submitting textbooks only to discover that their titles had ranked outside the approved 10, effectively preventing them from selling the books in public schools.
According to him, such a system could discourage authors from producing new educational content and prevent emerging publishers from entering the market.
He said Nigeria’s book industry had developed over decades and should not be subjected to policies that could transform it into a restricted market dominated by a handful of publishers.
Other News
Oluwatuyi also raised concerns about the implications of the policy for schools, particularly public schools that already face infrastructure and resource challenges.
He questioned whether schools would have timely and affordable access to the limited number of approved textbooks, warning that blacklisting schools that use unapproved books could create difficulties during school resumption.
He said the policy could widen the educational gap between schools that have the resources to comply and those struggling to provide basic learning materials.
The former booksellers’ association president further warned that parents and students could ultimately bear the greatest financial burden.
He argued that publishers would likely pass increased regulatory and production costs to consumers through higher textbook prices at a time when many Nigerian families were already struggling with the rising cost of living.
According to him, expensive textbooks could lead to more students sharing books, reduced access to learning materials and potentially poorer educational outcomes.
Oluwatuyi therefore appealed to the Federal Government and NERDC to suspend the ₦750,000 ranking fee and new review charges pending broader consultations with stakeholders in the education and publishing sectors.
He also called for a review of the “Top 10 only” policy to allow a wider range of quality-approved textbooks, thereby preserving competition, choice and affordability.
He urged the government to engage the Nigerian Publishers Association, Booksellers Association of Nigeria and other relevant stakeholders in developing a textbook approval system that would balance quality assurance with affordability and accessibility.
“Quality control is important,” Oluwatuyi said, stressing that quality education would have limited impact if learning materials became inaccessible to ordinary Nigerian families.
He maintained that education policies should strengthen the country’s educational system without crippling publishers, restricting schools or placing additional financial pressure on parents already struggling to meet basic needs.
