NPA drags FG, NERDC to court over textbook ranking policy

The Nigerian Publishers Association (NPA) has instituted a suit against the federal government and the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) at the Federal High Court in Ibadan, challenging the legality of the council’s textbook ranking framework.

The suit, marked FHC/IB/CS/117/26, names the Minister of Education and the Attorney-General of the Federation as co-defendants alongside NERDC.

At issue is whether NERDC possesses the statutory power to require publishers to resubmit textbooks that have already been assessed, approved and certified, to a fresh ranking exercise as a precondition for their continued use, distribution, procurement or sale in Nigerian schools.

The publishers are also contesting the compulsory fee attached to the ranking exercise, and are questioning the legal standing of regulations issued under the NERDC Act without presidential assent or publication in the Federal Gazette, both of which they argue are statutory requirements.

Recall that BusinessDay had earlier reported that the federal government unveiled the National Textbook Ranking System in April 2026, targeting textbooks used across primary, junior secondary and senior secondary schools.

The Federal Ministry of Education justified the policy as a response to the proliferation of textbooks in the market, framing it as a quality-control measure to ensure only curriculum-compliant materials reach classrooms. The system was billed to take effect from the September 2026 academic session.

The framework required NERDC to expand beyond its existing textbook assessment and approval mandate to introduce a ranking layer, with rankings determining which titles would be recommended for classroom use.

NERDC opened its 2026 assessment, reassessment and ranking exercise in June, inviting publishers and other stakeholders to submit textbooks and instructional materials.

Publishers who opt out of the ranking process face the exclusion of their previously approved textbooks from classroom use, under the policy’s current terms, a condition the NPA argues goes beyond NERDC’s statutory remit.

The association wants the court to determine whether NERDC has the legal authority to impose the conditions set out in the framework.

Rotimi Iyiola, executive secretary of NPA, in a statement, said the litigation should not be read as a rejection of dialogue with the government, adding that it remains open to continued engagement with the federal government and other stakeholders.

The association said its objective was a textbook approval system that is lawful, transparent and serves the interests of learners, teachers and the publishing industry.