How bookshops stand against all odds in Kaduna

The economy may bite hard, yet they still survive. Bookshelf finds out how.    “Are there bookshops in Nigeria?” was the shocking question asked Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie by Caroline Broue, a journalist at an event tagged ‘A night of ideas’ early this year in Quai d’Orsay hosted by the French government. Yes, there are bookshops, […]

The economy may bite hard, yet they still survive. Bookshelf finds out how.

 

 “Are there bookshops in Nigeria?” was the shocking question asked Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie by Caroline Broue, a journalist at an event tagged ‘A night of ideas’ early this year in Quai d’Orsay hosted by the French government.

Yes, there are bookshops, and they are scattered across Nigeria. In Kaduna State, some have stood the test of time, notable amongst which are: CSS Bookshop, Yemi Bookshop, Challenge Bookshop, Evangel Bookshop, Mustapha Bookshop and Baptist Bookshop.

Majority of the bookshops are strategically located along the popular Ahmadu Bello Way in Kaduna.  In spite of this easy access, customers no longer patronise them as in the past.

Bookshelf gathered that the economy of the country is not favourable for book trade as it has made some book lovers drift away because monies that ordinarily would have been used to buy books are diverted for other purposes. This has also led many to opt for pirated copies.

Similarly, the reading culture of Nigerians has further dwindled with the advent of smart phones and social networks, as many have resorted to reading e-copies of books and literatures. Bookshelf observed that what is sustaining majority of the bookshops is sale of stationeries and academic books which experience high patronage between August and November when schools begin a new academic session.

Mustapha Bookshop

Mustapha bookshop, formerly situated around Katsina Road roundabout now occupies a section of Y.A. Ahmed House along Ahmadu Bello Way in Kaduna. There, one mainly finds educational, lifestyle, Christian, motivational books, and library equipment among others. The bookshop is big and well-stocked but patronage is low, the manager, Mrs Mustapha Mohammed said and blamed the economic situation of the country and technological advancement. 

“In the past, every section of the bookshop was usually filled with customers who demand for one book or the other,” she lamented.

Baptist Bookshop

Situated along Ahmadu Bello Way, opposite Kaduna central market, this bookshop sells journals, research books, story books, magazines, children’s books, religious books, CDs, stationeries, communion wafer and wine, greeting cards among others. It is one of the oldest bookshops in the state. The supervisor of the bookshop who did not disclose her name said because of the economic situation of the country, only very few people buy books and Bibles as gifts to their friends and loved ones. She however pointed out that there are still people who prefer hard copies as against e-books. 

CSS Bookshop

The CSS Bookshops Limited was established by the Church Missionary Society Trust in 1869 as C.M.S Bookshops, Lagos. It was established then to source and distribute devotional service/religious books, stationery products and educational books. In 1961, C.M.S Bookshops were formally handed over to the Local Association while the name of the company was changed in 1969 to Church and School Supplies Bookshops. It has sister Companies, including Bookshop House Limited and CSS Sterling Printers Limited.

The bookshop sells stationeries, general books, including Christian literature, church materials, academic books, library/laboratory equipment as well as motivational and inspirational books. The head office of the bookshop has a library in Lagos.

The goal of the bookshop according to the manager in charge of the Kaduna bookshop, Yakubu Dogara is to evangelize through sale of books. 

Evangel Bookshop

Situated at Junction Road, Evangel Bookshop is a three-storey edifice. There are three branches at Barnawa, Nasarawa Road and Kakuri in Kaduna South. The bookshop which majorly focuses on selling Christian books for adults and children, particularly novels, storybooks and comics. There are also CDs and expositors for pastors. At the ground floor of the junction road bookshop is where new stocks are sold while the first floor has in stock assorted second hand books and Bibles among others sold at cheaper prices. At that floor, books, Bibles and literatures that are out of print can be found.

The supervisor of the bookshop, Mrs Osaiga Miracle told our reporter that there used to be a library at the Barnawa branch of the bookshop, but it has been converted into a store.

“We have so many books that we don’t have where to store them. We don’t borrow books out in the library. It was mostly used by Christian researchers, mission workers and pastors. But there are calls from different quarters that the library should be revived,” she said.

Just like other bookshops, Evangel is also experiencing low patronage. “Market is very slow now unlike before. The economic situation is responsible because majority of Nigerians who are looking for what to eat will not see buying of books as a priority. Also, modern technology has affected the market but we still have people who prefer hard copies of books. The high rate of exchange has barred us from importing books. What we are selling now are the ones we imported about three to four years ago.

“So, we are not able to meet the needs of our customers because there are books customers want that we don’t have because of our inability to import new books. This is a challenge on our side,” she stressed.

Yemi Bookshop

Located in the heart of Kaduna town along Ahmadu Bello Way, Yemi Bookshop is one of the oldest in the state. In spite of the numerous challenges facing book trade, it still exists and tries to meet the needs of its customers. The bookshop, which is one of the oldest in the city, started with the sale of stationeries.

The manager, Koya Adebayo said the reading culture of Nigerians has reduced drastically. “Children of these days are carried away by social networks. Government should stock school libraries and compel students to go to the library during school hours to read daily. It is unfortunate that some schools don’t even have libraries. Reading should form part of the school curriculum so that reading can become a culture,” he said.