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Samuel Adewale Ogunrombi and Gboyega Adio: Deputy University Librarian at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, Nigeria and Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Nigeria, respectively
Introduction
The importance of books in the socio-economic and technological development of a developing country like Nigeria cannot be over-emphasized. Ironically, the developing countries were referred to in a UNESCO publication as those suffering from "book hunger". To be specific, Africa in general, and Nigeria in particular, is short of books, with a high proportion of the books needed at the tertiary level of education being imported from Europe and the USA.
A study of Nigeria's book sector undertaken at the instance of the Federal Ministry of Education revealed that demand for books in Nigeria is high at all levels of education. Unfortunately, financial constraint has severely affected the demand. The dwindling economic fortunes of Nigeria have reduced institutional funding for both text and library books and journals. In the same vein, the production of books in Nigeria is operating below capacity as a result of infrastructural problems and the shortage of investment finance. Paper, the major ingredient for book production, is difficult to acquire from local mills. Lack of finance and foreign exchange to invest in pulp are the major problems affecting the production capacity of the Oku Iboku newsprint mill, while the Iwopin Mill remains uncompleted as a result of unavailability of investment finance.
Evidence abounds everywhere in Nigeria that educational textbooks are expensive and out-of-reach of most parents. Presently, Nigerian education at all levels urgently needs book resources to ensure that the effectiveness of the whole educational system is greatly enhanced.
Textbook provision in Nigeria
Having given a panoramic view of the book situation in Nigeria, to avoid the danger of underestimating the seriousness of the situation, it is pertinent to give an exhaustive picture of text book provision at the different levels of our educational system.
Textbooks for the primary school
At the primary level, a study of textbook situation in 150 primary schools in ten sample States revealed that the majority of the schools visited had textbook availability ratios of less than 10 per cent in the five key subjects (English language, local language, mathematics, science and religion), which represented core text-book provision (Read, 1990,...