The year 2025 ushered in a new literary style unlike any other in Nigeria's history. Just when it seemed that online publishing was begi...
The year 2025 ushered in a new literary style unlike any other in Nigeria's history. Just when it seemed that online publishing was beginning to overshadow conventional book publishing, 2025 demonstrated that book writing will eventually regain its lost glory and continue to progress alongside online publishing.
In 2025, a new style of book writing emerged, making sensitive revelations and exposing secrets that were previously unknown. To the extent that people now reserve important information for themselves—only to reveal it in a book.
I have keenly followed the trends of book publication in Nigeria for the past 25 years and have realized that the number of autobiographies published in 2025 surpassed those of the last ten years. Indeed, 2025 may well be the year in which the highest number of books were unveiled in recent history.
The list of books is quite long based on my collection, but I will outline a few and their authors to refresh our memories on the controversies or exposés they presented and some pieces of contentious information they shared with the public.
It was in this year that former Nigerian Military President, General Ibrahim Babangida, launched his book A Journey in Service: An Autobiography of General Ibrahim Babangida, which recounts his role in the June 12 crisis. It was also the year that Malam Ibrahim Yakub El-Zakzaky launched his autobiography, Rayuwata (translated in English as My Life), detailing when and how he began his preaching.
Similarly, former presidential spokesman Malam Garba Shehu gave an exposé of his working life with his boss, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and his assignments at the Presidential Villa during the Buhari presidency in his book According to the President: Lessons from a Presidential Spokesman's Experience. The Guild of Online Corporate Publishers (GOOCOP) also published a book in 2025 titled GOOCOP's Perspectives on Online Publishing, detailing how they established the association and the historical background of online publication in Nigeria.
Business magnate Femi Otedola published Making It Big, sharing his perspectives on business. Likewise, the oldest newspaper in northern Nigeria published in Hausa, Al Mizan, celebrated its 35th anniversary with the launch of Tarihin Al Mizan da Gwagwarmayar Ta (translated as The History of Al Mizan and Its Many Struggles).
Former Information Minister Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who presided over a controversial period of information management, launched his book Headlines and Soundbites: Media Moments that Defined an Administration.
Of all the books published, the one that generated the most heated debate and controversy was From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari by Charles Omode, Ph.D., officially launched by the immediate family of former President Muhammadu Buhari but perceived by many as a critique of his legacy.
The family of the late renowned business mogul Alhaji Alhassan Dantata of Kano also published two books: Behind the City Wall and Aminu Dantata: Life and Times of a Nigerian Entrepreneur, both written by Munzali Dantata.
Other notable works include Beyond the Airwaves of a Commentator: Encounters and Experience by Dayo Alabi and Being True to Myself by former Jigawa State Governor Alhaji Sule Lamido, which made numerous revelations still discussed in the media and public discourse.
Meanwhile, former presidential spokesman Dr. Reuben Abati celebrated his 60th birthday with the launch of three books, an event attended by prominent dignitaries from across the country. Seasoned author Malam Ibrahim Sheme, known for Shata Ikon Allah, unveiled a book on the history and songs of the renowned female Hausa singer Uwani Zakirai, titled Tarihi da Wakokin Uwani Zakirai.
Justice Ado Bello launched his book Eyes of the Law within the same year. For the first time in nearly a century, a book explored the fate of people who migrated from parts of present-day Nigeria to escape life under British colonial rule. The author traveled from Nigeria to Sudan to conduct research for Sokoto Caliphate in Diaspora: The Making of the Sultane of Mai Wurno in Sudan, written by Shuaibu Shehu Aliyu.
Another book that captured attention was Zaria Massacre by Malam Ibrahim Musa, based on interviews with eyewitnesses who survived the 2015 clash between Shi'ites and the Nigerian Army in Zaria. Writing for the Media and Monetising It, by Azu Ishiekwene, Vice Chairman of Leadership Media Group, also generated significant public interest.
Supporters of President Bola Tinubu published Reflections on the Renewed Hope Agenda, while the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) sponsored numerous publications by university and polytechnic academics—more than in any other year previously. For the first time, I discovered books written in Hausa vernacular focusing on science and technology, including Ilmin Crypto a Saukake by Abdullahi Mahuta, which simplifies crypto literacy, and Zamba a Duniyar Internet by Abu Ubaida, Jibril Yusufu, and Muhammad Sulaiman Abdullahi, which addresses internet fraud.
Other notable works include The Dallazawa Dynasty: A Study of the Jihad Movement, Islamic Civilisation, Culture, Economy, Administration, Palace Politics, and Diplomacy by Waisu Iliyasu, Sani Abdu Fari, Muhammad T.I. Safana, and Zaharadeen Ibrahim, which has captured researchers’ attention. Traditional Institution and the Challenges of Governance and Security in Contemporary Nigeria by MD Suleman, Sama Ila Suleman, Ibrahim Sani Kankara, and Waisu Iliyasu has provided answers to many questions on local security challenges.
In contrast to 2025, past years did not witness such a high number of book launches within a single year. However, some books with significant revelations include One Step Ahead: The Life of a Spy and Detective by former EFCC boss Farida Waziri, Stepping on Toes: My Odyssey at the Nigerian Ports Authority by Hadiza Bala Usman, and Aristocratic Rebel: The Biography of MD Yusuf by Ayo Opadukun.
The year 2025 has established beyond doubt that the culture of book writing is not dead; it merely fell into a slumber and is now awakening. This is a promising sign that, in the near future, reading published books can fully regain its past glory.
Muhammad Danjuma Katsina
Journalist, Katsina Times Media Group
08020570059
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