Gbadega Adedapo (left), MD/CEO, Accessible Publishers Ltd; Wasiu Adewale Olatunbosun, Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Oyo State, and Collins Minene, Regional Director; Africa, Room to Read, at the Nigeria Literacy Book Adaptation Project event at Ibadan recently.
While there have been attempts in the past to preserve Nigeria’s linguistic heritage, Accessible Publishers Ltd is taking the efforts a notch higher with its innovative project.
Tagged ‘Nigeria Literacy Book Adaptation Project’, this latest innovation from the stable of the Ibadan-based publishing company is designed to restore the fading glory of Nigeria’s three big languages – Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba.
The project is riding on the successful launch of Accessible Studybase, an innovative online learning platform by the publishing outfit, which is aimed at enhancing classroom teaching and learning for teachers, students and school administrators.
Through the project, translated books in these languages will be accessible to teachers and students to ignite the love of mother tongues among youths.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Literacy Book Adaptation Project is a collaborative venture Accessible Publishers entered into with Room to Read, a Kenya-based organisation.
Following the collaboration, four team members of Room to Read visited the country recently and were hosted in Ibadan alongside Nigerian translation and linguistic scholars to effectively carry out the assignment.
The team include: Collins Munene, regional operations director for Africa; Zamaradi Saidi, global director, Gender Equity; Tutus Kazungu, associate director, Literacy (Africa), and
Alison Ziki, associate director – Publishing (Africa).
As well, the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), Ministry of Education, Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEB), government officials from different states, educational and curriculum planners, dignitaries, and other relevant agencies were also present to bear witness to the historic event.
While declaring the Room to Read collaboration workshop open, Gbadega Adedapo, managing director/Chief Executive Officer, Accessible Publishers, said that the initiative was akin to igniting a movement that holds the power to reshape Africa’s narrative, renew linguistic heritage, and rekindle the flame of reading among children. “This is more than an event; it is a clarion call to action, to inclusion, and to excellence,” he said, while commending the Kenyan organisation for choosing to collaborate with his firm.
“We at Accessible Publishers Ltd are humbled by the trust your organisation (Room to Read) has placed in us, following your rigorous assessment of potential Nigerian partners. This recognition affirms our longstanding dedication to excellence in educational publishing. For over two decades, we have pursued a singular mission: to make quality education accessible and affordable for every Nigerian learner, regardless of location or status,” Adedapo added.
He highlighted the strategic importance of the collaboration with Room to Read, as “a partnership written in purpose and bound by vision.
“Room to Read envisions a world in which all children can access quality education, realise their full potential, and meaningfully contribute to the society. And through this Nigeria Literacy Book Adaptation Project, that vision is taking root here, in our communities, in our languages. We celebrate and applaud Room to Read for recognising the significance of local languages and indigenous cultures in learning. Your commitment to publishing storybooks in Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba reflects not only linguistic inclusiveness but also cultural affirmation. This opportunity will once again allow our children to see their worlds mirrored in literature, their names, their proverbs, their folktales, not as afterthoughts, but as centrepieces of learning.
“We are also deeply moved by your gender-sensitive approach to literacy. Your unwavering dedication to the education of the girl-child is both progressive and powerful, as reflected in one of your maxim, “Creating a world free from illiteracy and gender inequality. By placing books in her hands, you place destiny in her reach.”
Adedapo then called on cultural custodians, translators, educators and knowledge bearers saying, “may your work be a gift to this generation and a legacy to the next”.
He ended his address saying: “Literacy is not a luxury, it is a lifeline. It is the ladder from poverty to possibility, from obscurity to opportunity. With every page we produce and every child we reach, we turn the tide toward progress.”
Some of the language experts assembled to carry out the translation task include: Tyjani Shehu Almajir, a professor and Hausa language expert, Department of Linguistics and Foreign Languages, Bayero University, Kano; Suleeyman Hamisu Aliyu, Hausa language expert, School of Secondary Education (Languages), Federal College of Education, Abeokuta, Ogun State; Nwagbo Osita Gerald, Igbo language expert, Department of Linguistics, African and Asian Studies, University of Lagos; Abdulazeez Umma Sa’ade, Hausa language expert, Department of Linguistics and African Studies, Emmanuel Alayande University of Education, Oyo; Aboderin Oluwakemi Adebisi, Yoruba language expert, Department of Yoruba Studies, Tai Solarin University of Education; Clement Adeniyi Akangbe, Yoruba language expert, Department of Library, Archival and Information Studies, University of Ibadan, and Ebele Okafor, Department of Linguistics, African and Asian Studies, Faculty of Arts, University of Lagos.
The language experts shared their views on the imperative of the exercise that they believe should have started years ago, noting that now is as good as nothing. For Akangbe, “The collaboration between Room to Read and Accessible Publishers Ltd was highly effective and well-coordinated. It brought together a diverse team of language experts, educators, and publishing professionals in a structured and inclusive environment. Room to Read provided technical expertise and international best practices, while Accessible Publishers brought local knowledge and implementation capacity.
Together, they created a platform where quality and contextual relevance were prioritized, ensuring that the final products met global literacy standards while remaining authentically Nigerian. This kind of collaboration is a model for future literacy development initiatives in Nigeria.”
Gerald summed the proceedings at the workshop and the entire collaborative efforts thus, “For starters, I have learnt how to mentor students in creative writing projects specifically for early-grade readers in Igbo. I, along with my other colleagues, are planning to launch a student writers’ club focused on producing children’s literature in Nigerian languages. As a writer, I will try to develop a series of culturally embedded storybooks for children in Igbo that reflect urban and rural realities, including intergenerational relationships — something we don’t write about enough in our children’s literature.”
According to Abdulazeez, “The training provided a wealth of insights that cut across literacy theory, cultural adaptation, and child psychology.
I found the sessions on narrative structure for early readers and culturally sensitive illustration particularly enlightening. These are aspects often overlooked in academic discussions of children’s literature. I intend to infuse these learnings into both my university lectures and writing practice.
My course content will now give greater emphasis to the value of localized storytelling in cognitive development. As an author and teacher, I plan to create more Hausa children’s books that are pedagogically sound and culturally grounded.”
