Publishers ask court to halt NERDC textbook ranking policy

The Nigerian Publishers Association (NPA) has petitioned a Federal High Court in Ibadan to prevent the enforcement of the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC)’s new textbook ranking policy. The NPA challenges NERDC’s authority to make previously approved textbooks undergo an additional ranking process before they can be utilized, distributed, procured, or sold.

The association also contests the mandatory ranking fee linked to this exercise and seeks the court’s judgment on whether regulations enacted under the NERDC Act can be implemented without the necessary presidential approval and publication in the Federal Gazette.

The suit, identified as FHC/IB/CS/117/26, names the President of NERDC, the Minister of Education, and the Attorney-General of the Federation as defendants. NPA’s legal team argues that the central issue before the court is NERDC’s statutory authority to compel publishers to submit already assessed, approved, and certified textbooks for another ranking exercise.

They further question the legality of the compulsory ranking fee and the procedural mechanisms through which the new regulations were enacted, particularly whether these measures can take effect without the required presidential approval and publication in the Federal Gazette.

The NPA expressed apprehension regarding the repercussions for publishers who do not comply, stating that those who neglect to participate in the ranking exercise risk having their previously approved textbooks excluded from classroom use. The association seeks the court to ascertain whether NERDC possesses the legal authority to impose such a condition on textbooks that have already undergone the approval process.

The NPA underscored its commitment to a lawful, transparent, and beneficial textbook approval system for all stakeholders in the education sector, emphasizing that its court action does not preclude further negotiations with the Federal Government.