Who Is Telling Nigerian Children’s Stories? ReadBug Festival Raises Questions About Local Books
NIGERIAN children need more books that reflect their identities, communities and lived experiences, but producing such stories requires more than good intentions, stakeholders in children’s literature have said.
The experts spoke at the second edition of the ReadBug Literary Festival in Abuja, where they called for stronger writing skills, more culturally relevant publications and greater appreciation of children’s literature. The festival adopted the theme “Stories That Build Worlds.”
Among the speakers were children’s authors Ayo Oyeku and Ugo Anidi, as well as festival founder Aysha Abdullahi. They highlighted how books can shape children’s sense of identity, broaden their understanding of society and encourage them to engage with cultures beyond their immediate surroundings.
For Abdullahi, the festival grew out of her own experience as a young reader. Books, she explained, introduced her to opportunities and perspectives she might not otherwise have encountered.
Consequently, she sees reading as a means of helping children understand differences, build empathy and question stereotypes. Yet she warned that poor reading habits and limited exposure to other cultures could leave people with restricted views of the world.
“One of Nigeria’s problems is that a large number of our population do not read. We rarely travel or see much of the world or understand the cultures around us,” she said.
A Shortage of Local Stories Raises Concerns
One notable feature of the festival was the relatively small number of Nigerian-authored children’s books displayed compared with foreign titles. That imbalance raised a central question: do young Nigerians have sufficient access to stories that reflect their own lives?
Anidi believes that closing the gap requires writers to approach children’s literature with the same seriousness they bring to other professional disciplines.
An author, lawyer and publisher, she left a two-decade legal career to pursue writing. She subsequently earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing and founded Books for Umu Nti (BUN), a children’s publishing and writing coaching initiative.
Through BUN, Anidi said she had trained approximately 160 children and adults in writing. Her experience, she argued, demonstrates the importance of developing the technical skills needed to create quality books for young audiences.
“People tend to look down on children’s literature. People spend years studying medicine and law, but when it comes to writing for children, they say, ‘It’s children’s books; anyone can write for children,’” she said.
Her argument challenges the assumption that writing for children requires less preparation than writing for adults. In reality, children’s books must engage young readers while communicating ideas through age-appropriate language, characters and storytelling.
Authors Seek Stories That Reflect Their Backgrounds
Oyeku, the author of My Jalabiya, What Happened on Thursday and The First Among Equals, also pointed to the limited availability of stories reflecting Nigerian experiences.
He observed that many Nigerian writers began producing children’s books because they could not find enough publications that represented their own backgrounds and realities.
Their experience highlights a broader cultural concern. While international books can introduce children to different societies, locally grounded stories can also help young readers recognise their languages, traditions, environments and everyday challenges in literature.
Therefore, stakeholders at the festival stressed the importance of combining cultural authenticity with strong writing. Representation matters, but writers must also create memorable characters, engaging plots and stories that hold children’s attention.
Spelling Bee Celebrates Young Achievers
The festival extended its focus on literacy through a Spelling Bee competition featuring schools from across the Federal Capital Territory. According to the organisers, six finalists from Years 4 to 9 received prizes of ₦500,000 each.
The winners named included Chinonso Ezenwata Anthony of Aduvie International School; Amarachi Achonu and Rihanna of Olumawu School; Okpo Success of Government Secondary School, Garki, Area 10; and Naomi Elvis of Olumawu School.
Meanwhile, Kamsi of Government Secondary School, Area 10, and Bili of Model Junior Secondary School, Maitama, reportedly finished in a tie among the Year 9 contestants.
Abdullahi explained that the organisers awarded the prizes to the students themselves rather than their schools to recognise personal effort and encourage continued learning.
The competition complemented the festival’s wider objective of promoting reading, writing and intellectual development among young Nigerians. By rewarding students directly, the organisers also sought to reinforce the value of individual commitment.
Ultimately, the ReadBug Literary Festival placed two connected priorities before Nigeria’s literary community: encouraging children to read and ensuring that the books available to them are both culturally meaningful and professionally written. Meeting those goals will require sustained investment in writers, publishing initiatives and opportunities for young readers to discover the power of stories.
