The federal government has reduced the cost of textbook assessment and ranking under the National Textbook Ranking System and directed that publishers who paid the previous, higher assessment fees be refunded.

The Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council announced the decision in a statement signed by its Executive Secretary, Prof. Salisu Shehu, on Wednesday in Abuja.

According to the statement, the revised fees take immediate effect and are aimed at easing the financial burden on publishers and authors ahead of the full implementation of the National Textbook Ranking System.

Under the new rates, the assessment fee has been reduced from N2,000 to N1,500 per page, while the ranking fee has been lowered from N1 million to N750,000 per textbook title.

“The assessment fee has been reduced from N2,000 to N1,500 per page, while the ranking fee has been reviewed downward from N1 million to N750,000 per textbook title,” the statement read.

Prof. Shehu also announced that publishers who had already paid the previous assessment fee would be reimbursed for the excess amount.

“Publishers who had already paid the previous assessment fee of N2,000 per page will receive refunds of the excess payment, while the procedure for processing the refunds will be announced soon,” the statement added.

The Council further directed that all publishers and authors submitting textbooks for assessment should immediately comply with the revised charges.

“Publishers and authors submitting textbooks for assessment are to make payments based on the revised rates with immediate effect,” it stated.

NERDC urged publishers, authors and other stakeholders in the book industry to comply fully with the new fee structure.

The fee reduction comes ahead of the rollout of the federal government’s National Textbook Ranking System, a flagship education reform introduced by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, to improve the quality of instructional materials used in Nigerian schools.

Beginning in September 2026, only textbooks that have been assessed, approved and ranked by NERDC will be authorized for classroom use nationwide, while unranked textbooks will no longer be permitted in schools.

Speaking earlier at the unveiling of the initiative, Alausa said the policy was designed to eliminate substandard textbooks and ensure that learners and teachers have access only to high-quality, curriculum-compliant instructional materials.

He explained that although NERDC would continue to carry out its statutory responsibility of approving textbooks, approval alone would no longer be sufficient, as every approved title would undergo a rigorous national evaluation and ranking by expert committees before being recommended for use in schools.

The National Textbook Ranking System is one of the key education reforms being implemented by the Federal Ministry of Education under the Renewed Hope Agenda to strengthen quality assurance in basic and secondary education

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the establishment of a new Army battalion in Kwara State to strengthen security and tackle banditry, kidnapping and other violent crimes.

The battalion will be located in Omu Aran, headquarters of Irepodun Local Government Area, and is expected to boost troop deployment and military operations, particularly in areas affected by kidnappings and bandit attacks.

Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq disclosed this in a statement issued on Tuesday by his Deputy Chief Press Secretary, Mashood Agboola.
He described the approval as another demonstration of the Federal Government’s commitment to addressing security challenges in the state.

The governor thanked President Tinubu for approving the new military formation, saying it would strengthen ongoing counterterrorism and anti-kidnapping operations.
“We are confident the new battalion will greatly strengthen counterterrorism and anti-kidnapping operations,” he said.

AbdulRazaq also commended the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Waidi Shaibu, for the swift processing of the request, and appreciated the Office of the National Security Adviser and other security agencies for their efforts to combat violent crime.
He said security agencies were also carrying out coordinated operations to rescue kidnapped victims and flush out criminal elements from forests across the state.

The approval comes amid renewed concerns over insecurity in parts of Kwara, especially Babanla community in Ifelodun Local Government Area, where residents have alleged repeated bandit attacks.

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, Badagry Area Command, has uncovered an alleged fake university operating from a three-bedroom apartment in Ilado, Olorunda Local Council Development Area, of Lagos State, and rescued 106 youths allegedly lured into the scheme.

The Corps also arrested the alleged proprietor of the institution, which reportedly recruited young people from different parts of Nigeria and neighbouring West African countries with promises of admission into a foreign university.

According to report, the operation, carried out in the early hours of Monday after days of intelligence gathering and covert surveillance, exposed what security officials described as an alleged fraudulent academic and recruitment scheme.

The youths, mostly aged between 19 and 24, were taken into protective custody by the NSCDC for profiling and further investigation.

Speaking on the development, the Badagry Area Commander of the NSCDC, Chief Superintendent Gbenga Ekunola, said the operation followed credible intelligence received by the command on activities at the apartment.

He said: “We got reliable intelligence about the activities going on there. Our officers monitored the place for days before moving in. We have arrested the proprietor, who is assisting with our investigation, while the students have been taken into our protective custody.”

Investigations, however, revealed that the alleged institution had no official name, signboard, registration or known campus. It was allegedly being operated from the rented apartment while presenting itself online as a distance learning centre affiliated with a foreign university.

The youths reportedly came from different parts of Nigeria, including Kogi, Oyo and several northern states, while others travelled from Niger, Cameroon and Togo after allegedly being recruited online.

Preliminary investigations indicated that unsuspecting young people were allegedly persuaded to pay admission and processing fees after being promised admission into a foreign tertiary institution.

The victims reportedly paid between N200,000 and N1.5 million, while some foreign nationals and other participants allegedly paid between $400 and $500.

However, the alleged admission scheme reportedly came with a recruitment condition, with participants encouraged to bring in more people in return for commissions.

The arrangement allegedly operated like a chain marketing or Ponzi scheme, with participants promised increasing financial rewards based on the number of new students they recruited.

One of the victims reportedly told investigators that after paying $400, he persuaded his brother in Kogi State to enrol and had already begun receiving commissions from referrals.

The NSCDC also uncovered another aspect of the alleged operation, with some of the youths reportedly involved in promoting unidentified products online while receiving percentages from sales and recruitment.

Ekunola expressed concern that several parents were unaware of the real purpose of their children’s presence in Badagry.

He said: “We have started contacting their families. One parent told us her child informed the family that he came to Badagry to learn a trade, not to attend a university. That shows many of these parents were completely unaware.”

According to him, the command would profile all the youths and work towards reuniting them with their parents and guardians after the necessary investigations.

He also assured that anyone found culpable in the operation of the alleged fake institution would be prosecuted in accordance with the law.