University Press Plc.

University Press PLC
Status Active
Traded as UPL
Founded 1949
Country of origin Nigeria
Headquarters location Ibadan, Oyo, Nigeria
Key people Olalekan Are, Samuel Kolawole
Publication types Books, Encyclopedia
Official website www.universitypressplc.com

University Press Plc (UPPLC) is Nigeria's largest indigenous book publisher. It was founded as the Nigerian branch of the British Oxford University Press[1] in 1949 with the name Oxford University Press (OUP), Nigeria. At incorporation[2] as a public liability company in 1978, the company's name was changed to University Press Limited.[3]

The company has coverage of the country and the West African sub-regions through the location of its area offices, depots, showrooms and a number of representatives in major cities and towns nationwide and also in Accra, Ghana. The company prints, publishes and sells books for education and general reading.[4]

The Board of Directors comprises both Executive and Non-Executive Directors from a variety of backgrounds.[5]

The Company has won several awards such as the Nigerian Book Fair Trust Award of Recognition for sharing the vision of Nigerian Book Fair Trust and supporting the growth of the annual Nigerian Book Fair.

Three Crowns Building

The Head Office of the company is at Three Crowns Building, Jericho, Ibadan. The main warehouse, which is reputed to be one of the largest in tropical Africa, is also located at Ibadan.

Front View of University Press PLC (UPPLC)
Side View/Parking Lot

Other Depot Locations

The company has an effective coverage of the country and the West African sub-region through the strategic location of its Area Offices, Depots, Showrooms and a number of Representatives in major cities and towns nationwide and also in Accra, Ghana. The depot in Zaria stands out as UPPLC’s second largest while the highly commercialized Lagos State has four depots: Ikeja, Ikorodu, Yaba and Ajegunle.

Conception/History

Conceptualized in 1949 as the Nigerian branch of Oxford University Press (OUP), its main function was to sell Oxford books in Nigeria. Later, the company began to produce books locally and, before long, a Nigerian unit was established in Oxford where editing and publishing of titles for the Nigerian local markets were done. The titles published were literary and curriculum-based books targeted at educational institutions and the general public. At incorporation as a public liability company in 1978, the Company's name was changed to University Press Limited.

Indigenization

University Press plc started indigenizing its titles since 1963, when it came out with the first ever local educational publication in the country, Ijala Are Ode by Oladipo Yemitan.


The Foremost Publishers[6]

Over the years, UPPLC has grown to become one of the oldest, most experienced and the nation's foremost publishers of materials for both educational and general reading. The acronym, "the foremost publishers" was chosen to indicate the company’s dominance in Nigeria’s publishing sector, producing books to meet the educational needs of the populace for the Pre-primary, Primary, Secondary, Teacher Training, Tertiary and General Readership categories.

Revolutionizing Nigeria’s Publishing Industry

Over the years, UPPLC has been involved in the publication of high-profile authors thereby producing benchmark titles. In the last ten years in Nigeria, UPPLC single-handedly revolutionized the publishing industry in Nigeria by setting quality book standards that reflected in the quality of books produced. This revolution is credited to the Managing Director, Mr. Samuel Kolawole, a leader par excellence.

On assumption of office as Managing Director in 2005, he concentrated on improving the quality of the company’s books, spending qualitative time in the Publishing Division to create, recreate and implement innovative ideas that will change on revised and new titles. He created effective changes on each book from illustrations to its cover designs. The end product of each book was a standard competitive book which other publishers were obliged to imitate.

Awards and Ratings

In recognition of the quality of the company’s products and services in the publishing industry, UPPLC has the undermentioned awards to its credit:[7]

Authors & titles

Being one of the oldest publishers in Nigeria, UPPLC has published books for well-known authors in Nigeria both old/renowned;Wole Soyinka, J.P. Clark, Chukwuemeka Ike, Wande Abimbola, Akinwunmi Isola, Ola Rotimi, Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo,[8] Adebayo Faleti- and new/upcoming authors: Abimbola Alao, Yetunde Lawal, just to mention a few.

Old publications

Publications dating back to 1963 are kept in archives and preserved in memory of the authors in the Nigerian book industry. Early publications that shaped the Company and the Nigerian publishing industry include:

Wole Soyinka

Chukwuemeka Ike

Ola Rotimi

J. P. Clark

Wande Abimbola

Akinwunmi Isola

Adebayo Faleti

New and core publications

UPPLC has a growing archive of lines developed for the pre-primary, primary, secondary, teacher training, tertiary and general readership categories. UPPLC remains one of the major distributors of World Bank Publications in Africa. An inclusion to their general readership category is the new encyclopaedia series with topics in sciences, health, technology, architecture and more.

Core and famous curriculum-based titles such as New Oxford English Course and New Oxford Secondary English Course for primary and secondary schools respectively, as well as English for Primary Schools; MAN Mathematics, which is written by teachers, who are also members of the Mathematical Association of Nigeria (MAN); Exam Focus series, specially compiled for junior and senior secondary school students to aid them in their final exams; the New Young Achievers series for pre-primary and primary schools.

All curriculum-based titles adhere to the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) Curriculum for the 9-year Universal Basic Education Programme, which covers the student’s educational needs from their basic to secondary levels. This will in turn help to meet the demands of their final exams, i.e. Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), National Examination Council (NECO), West African Examinations Council (WAEC) for Junior Secondary Certificate Examination (JSCE) and Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE). The company includes workbooks and teaching aids with answers for teachers and parents for each corresponding title.

Events

Authors’ Forum,[9] an idea conceived by the management of University Press Plc as a forum for finding solutions to the numerous problems facing the book industry in Nigeria, is one of the company's yearly events which is attended by authors and others from different parts of the country, showcasing lectures and theme discussions.

UPPLC also hosts different events at the Annual Nigeria International Book Fair (NIBF) by organizing fun activities for both primary and secondary school children from different parts of Nigeria.

Nigerian Stock Exchange

At incorporation as a public limited liability company in 1978,[10] the company's name was changed to University Press Limited with an authorized share capital of 8,000,000 ordinary shares of 50k each, which since has grown to 2,000,000,000 in 2014. The paid-up share capital of the company is ₦215,704,750 made up of 431,409,500 ordinary shares of 50k each as at 31 March 2014. The Company was quoted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange on 14 August 1978.[11] UPPLC, has on two occasions, won the prestigious Stock Exchange Merit Award in the service sector of quoted companies. The company maintains a cordial relationship with OUP, which still has over 9% of its shareholding.

SHAREHOLDERS' FUNDS[12] 2013 (NGN ‘000) 2012 (NGN ‘000) 2011 (NGN ‘000) 2010 (NGN ‘000) 2009 (NGN ‘000)
Share capital 215,705 215,705 179,753 149,759 149,759
Share premium 175,507 175,507 211,458 241,416 241,416
Capital reserve 1,442 1,422 1,422 1,422 1,422
Fixed assets revaluation surplus 879,300 685,115 209,725 209,725 209,725

References

  1. ↑ "Top Five Publishing Firms In Nigeria". Book Republic. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  2. ↑ "Company description". Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  3. ↑ "Business Profile". Financial Times. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  4. ↑ Annual Report 2014 (PDF) (2014 ed.). p. 3. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
  5. ↑ Annual Report 2014 (PDF) (2014 ed.). p. 3. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
  6. ↑ Annual Report 2013-The foremost Publishers (PDF) (2013 ed.). p. 3. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
  7. ↑ "Awards and Ratings". UPPLC. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  8. ↑ "Celebrating a distinguished scholar". The Sun. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  9. ↑ "In Ibadan, authors chart course for national rebirth". The Sun. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
  10. ↑ "Company Details". moneyhub.net. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
  11. ↑ Upplc Annual Report 2014 (PDF) (2014 ed.). p. 3. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
  12. ↑ "SHAREHOLDERS' FUNDS". University Press PLC.
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