The University of Ibadan Bookshop: A Prism for Exploring the Nigerian Scholarly and General Publishing Landscape

[Oluwatoyin Adepoju]

The University of Ibadan Bookshop

 A Prism for Exploring the Nigerian Scholarly and General Publishing Landscape

Travelling to Osogbo on the 22nd of July this year, 2025, I took a train to Ibadan from Lagos.

Arriving in Ibadan about 10 am, I decided to explore the  University of Ibadan bookshop before continuing by road to Osogbo, having visited the bookshop  last in 2018.

My visit to the bookshop on the 22nd of July 2025 restructured

 my understanding of certain fundamental issues, leading to the following conclusions: 

1. Nigerian scholarly and general non-fiction publishing is gathering serious momentum.

2. University of Ibadan academics have developed a powerful culture of celebrating their colleagues through rich collaborative volumes published in Nigeria.

3. The National Theatre has made itself into a scholarly powerhouse through comprehensive collaborative volumes on theatre practioners, published in Nigeria.

4. The study of such an African knowledge system as Ifa is richly engaged with by writers in Nigeria,  publishing in Nigeria.

5. Nigerian printing systems are of high quality,  at times reaching competitive international standards. 

6.The Ibadan bookshop network, from the University of Ibadan bookshop to Sunshine Booksellers, and more,  is a premier book acquisition destination, particularly for serious non-fiction published in Nigeria,  and sold at various levels of ease of access to people operating within the purchasing power of the Nigerian currency, and of negligible cost to those operating within stronger currencies. 

It was a wonderful experience.

[Olayinka Oyegbile, PhD.]

I can testify to that. The UI Bookshop is the only university bookshop that still proudly carries that name. Although I have not visited the OAU bookshop recently.

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Olayinka Oyegbile, PhD. 
Mobile: 234-802-303-3511
Mobile: 234-809-819-6165
 
MAJOR AWARDS/FELLOWSHIPS

1) 2023 Winner West Africa Science Communication Awards, The Conversation Africa

 

2) 2010 Journalist to Journalist/The Union Fellowship, Berlin,Germany

 

3) 2005 Knight Journalism Fellowship at Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

 
4) 2003 World Health Organisation (WHO) Fellowship in Public Health
Journalism, Geneva, Switzerland

5) 2001 Steve Biko Memorial Scholars' Fellowship, Johannesburg, South Africa