Book Buzz Foundation Delivers on Its Pledge, Unveiling 20 Nigerian Picture Books

October 19, 2026

The Book Buzz Foundation has unveiled twenty new Nigerian children’s picture books in Abuja, produced under the Nigerian Picture Book Project (NPBP) with support from the European Union. LEADERSHIP reports that the books were written and illustrated by young Nigerian creatives from the country’s six geopolitical zones. The Abuja Inquirer adds that the launch took place around the foundation’s Abuja Festival of Literature & Ideas.

The unveiling fulfils what the project set out to do. According to Lola Shoneyin’s website, the NPBP was designed to train and mentor young Nigerian writers and illustrators aged 21 to 30 to develop original picture books for children aged 5 to 8, with a concrete target of twenty professionally published titles by Nigerians for Nigerian children. The project sits within the foundation’s wider work, which includes the BookStorm initiative, launched in 2023 to build a publishing pipeline for children’s books, and a stated ambition of producing 100 titles.

Per The Abuja Inquirer, the selection was competitive. A February open call drew 135 writers and 110 illustrators, from whom a panel picked 24 of each, four writers and four illustrators from every zone. A twelve-week training programme followed, running from 3 March to 29 May, after which writers and illustrators were paired to develop their books. LEADERSHIP reports that Shoneyin said participants were deliberately matched across regions and had to research cultures outside their own, an exercise some told her taught them more than their NYSC service year.

Inclusion runs through the collection. LEADERSHIP says Shoneyin highlighted books that feature characters with disabilities and special needs, intended to build empathy and challenge negative perceptions, while others draw on history, values, and everyday childhood, with some using animal characters. Shoneyin described the twenty titles as “just the first drop,” and said the books may reach digital platforms.

Officials and partners backed the launch. LEADERSHIP reports that Dr Aisha Garba, Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission, represented by her Special Assistant Ibrahim Gold, said the real test would come when a child reads one of the books and thinks, “This story is about people like me.” Dr Judith Kanu of the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council urged parents, teachers, and librarians to buy the books and read them with children. Author Nana Sule, who wrote Adeji and the Garden Eggs, told LEADERSHIP she was partly motivated by the chance to read with her own child. The Abuja Inquirer adds that Sterling Bank’s Jacqueline Ekpang said more than 30,000 copies have been produced, and that EU Ambassador Gautier Mignot called for private-sector help in getting them to rural communities. According to Shoneyin’s website, the finished books are meant to reach children through schools and libraries and to be showcased at festivals and book fairs. The twenty titles are: