DELIBERATE CHOICE OF 
tertiary book publishing will be 
| examined in this essay for two reasons. 
• One,. Educational publishing as a son 
I has the Government as its father 
Ithrough the various curricular and 
syllabi as designed to guarantee 
jmarketf at the nursery/primary and 
(condary levels. 
- Two.tertrary book publishing is an 'orphan', a 
horse neighing for attention and protection. Thus, ab 
Steve initio, tertiary publishing was set on a journey to 
Shaba perdition as we shall later see. Forgive my choice of 
metaphor. Educational publishing gained momentum 
with the design of syllabi for schools and the actual 
production of local needs. Tertiary, including general 
books, which ought to have provided much needed 
catalyst for national development were neglected. 
The function of the book a^a purveyor of knowledge, 
information, culture and development was 
examination and certificates. 
This fatal omission or commission led to the 
lopsided development of publishing in Nigeria and, 
indeed, gave rise to the myriad of problems facing 
the industry today. The attempt to 'Nigerianize' 
education in Nigeria led to constant changes, 
inconsistencies and planlessness in our Educational 
System with its attendant toll on book publishing. The 
absence of a solid base for an authentic Nigerianbased 
publishing gave birth to the dearth of manpower 
needs. Raw materials disappeared at the sight of 
publishers. Modern printing equipment were pitifully 
in short supply and hard to procure.Government's 
duties, tariffs and taxes on books and accessories 
were, to say the least excruciating. However, 
importation of recommended texts flourished, courtesy 
of the goodwill of the then strong exchange rate and 
Government's deliberate policy of a secure readership 
and market. 
The romance soon burst with the onset of 
depression and tertiary publishing, our resilient horse, 
was sorely bruised and laden with multiple fractures. 
Our nascent literacy level took a nose-dive. Our 
reading culture became more known on pages of 
newspapers. I am yet to see any vibrant reading 
culture built and nurtured on foreign imported books 
as experienced in Nigeria. Our libraries started 
journeys of varying of degrees of decay, and became 
havens for cobwebs and cockroaches. Taking into 
cognisance the above ailments, promotion and 
distribution of books became a recurring headache 
to publisher. 
Our worst fear was soon confirmed. It is a 
matter for 'celebration' that there is a book scarcity 
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in the land, when Britain, Canada, Europe, the US 
and other advanced countries were in the throes of a 
book hunger. A colleague and compatriot Mrs. O. 
Orimalade gave a graphic description in an article, 
'Book subsidy scheme. The international experience' 
when she declared: 
Thebook scarcity problem is largely at tertiary 
level. Nigeria has always depended heavily 
on importation of tertiary level books, and 
Nigerian publishers have concentrated mainly 
on publishing books at primary and secondary 
level... Imported books are now even more 
expensive than they used to be owing to the 
devaluation of the naira Consequently, 
booksellersorder very few copies of imported 
books for fear that students may not be 
able to afford them. Foreign exchange is also 
inadequate and inaccessible. The result, of 
course, is scarcity. 
Close on the heels of scarcity was the problem 
of authorship. Our strong horse took up the gauntlet 
and textbooks emerged here and there on various 
disciplines. However, many of the books adorned the 
bookshe'ves in the absence of buyers. A literary work 
'X', with a print-run of 1000 copies, and an 
international award to boot took over three years to 
sell out. Indeed, literary works such as poetry volumes, 
drama texts, novels and short stories (except where 
recommended for school-use) are hardly patronised. 
In certain cases, some booksellers do notacceptthem 
for display. With the adventof the Structural Adjustment 
Programme (SAP) in Nigeria, the devaluation of the 
Naira and a hyper-inflation; tertiary book publishing 
found itself on the surgeon's couch. Books became 
'leprous' due to the budgetary constraints of most 
families. This economic problem gave nerve to other 
anti-book habits like photocopying and purchase of 
handouts on a massive scale by students at the tertiary 
level. Lamenting the situation, this writer in a write-up 
titled, 'Let us read1, had remarked: 
For us in the universe of books, our world now 
walks on its underbelly. 
The value of the printed word now crawls in 
rhythm with our changing times. Hitherto, 
books needed no introduction... Today, the 
classics and good literature have become 
alien to our bookshelves. It is now a matter of 
prestige and class to acquire books that no one 
wants to read... This is the reality which is our 
dilemma. Books have become endangered 
species, not sought after, seldom read, spurned 
and probably the least on a scale of wants. * 
A visit to some of our universities and higher 
institutions is all one needs to confirm the discomfited 
nature of tertiary and general books in Nigeria.
Business centres with photocopying machines 
have taken over completely. Students clutch foreign 
novels with folders holding their handouts. All the 
calculations and crisis point to one conclusion: 
TERTIARY PUBLISHING IS COMATOSE. Will the 
Government spearhead the revival train? Are our 
business moguls now ready to invest in the industry 
that holds little promise on their investment? When is 
the expected renaissance? As these thoughts engage 
my brain in battle, I remember that most great truths 
begin as blasphemies even as religions (seen as 
professions) are kept alive by faith. 
I believe that our stallion must not be allowed 
to die. The process of restoration must begin with the 
Government. The ISSUE of a national literature (left 
in abeyance) with a Pan-Nigerian culture as its 
policy thrust will assist to create a readership that is 
unique. A reading culture cannot be created from 
without but from within. This wfll involve an enabling 
environment conducive to the production of books, 
mainly local, here in Nigeria. Also, the Government 
should remove all forms of impediments like duties 
and tariffs on publishing raw materials and equipment. 
This will lower production costs and make books 
affordable. The building of new libraries and the 
renovation of existing ones should be stepped up. 
Government can encourage the growth of publish ing 
at the tertiary level by either subsidising the cost of 
production or buying a minimum of five copies of 
every published book in Nigeria supplied to at least 
five hundred selected libraries in major towns and 
villages. This translates to a sale of 2500 copies for 
every published book. This gesture is all the tonic the 
industry needs to remain healthy. Also, the reading 
culture, literacy level and manpower needs an overall 
development in all facets of the country's life and the 
economy will have received tremendous energising. 
As a matter of priority, the Government should 
complete and make functional the various paper 
mills at Jebba, Iwopin and Oku-lboku. 
The tertiary book publishers should be abreast 
with and knowledgeable in the areas of current 
publishing techniques. Emphasis should be placed 
on good quality books developed to meet the needs 
of specialised readers. The era of general publishing 
is gone as global trends indicate. With improvements 
in communication facilities and desktop publishing, 
small work-force, minimum overheads, specialisation, 
competitiveness, specific promotion and distribution 
efforts have become the vogue. In Nigeria, good 
books can be produced using newsprint and bond 
paper for the same title to meet the purchasi ng power 
of certain buyers. Where markets have been 
identified, minimal costs should be expended on 
promotion, publicity and distribution. Where 
applicable, books should be supplied by mail order. 
n spite of the arguments against 
book launch, whether labelled 
vulgar, political, modest or 
literary it has become a veritable 
avenue for the quick circulation 
of new books ensuring an early 
return on the capital invested. 
However, care should be exercised to avoid loss and 
pilferage. 
In spite of the arguments against book launch, 
whether labelled vulgar, political, modest or literary; 
it has become a veritable avenue for the quick 
circulation of new books ensuring an early return on 
the capital invested. 
The tertiary book publisher should engage in 
consultancy services and offer printing services to 
corporate bodies by bringing their creativity to bear 
on these services. The export market is another area 
yet to be well explored by our tertiary book publishers. 
It is another option of survival provided the books are 
comparatively well-produced as the foreign ones 
The creation of markets overseas for local books 
could be a rewarding source of foreign exchange 
corning. Rights for the production of new existing 
books should be negotiated with foreign publishers 
where possible, as this promotes interdependence, 
inter-cultural knowledge and growth. 
The development of publishing in the local 
languages, on the long-run, will assure the tertiary 
publisher of a market as this has been found to be a 
strong method of promoting mass literacy and 
readership. This has been done with remarkable 
success elsewhere in Europe, America, Britain and in 
East Africa with Ngugi Wa Thiongo's works. 
The strategies and suggestions offered here 
are by no means exhaustive but are meant to stimulate 
further discourse on tertiary book publishing in Nigeria 
with or without a depressed economy. GR 
*Reproduced from November/December 1994, 
African Publishing Review. 
**Remarks at the launch of Soul-Journey into the 
Night on 26 May 1993 at Nil A, Lagos 
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