Academy Press: Saluting The Pioneer At 60

When discussing colour printing successful Nigeria, 1 recalls that successful the opening was Academy Press, sixty years ago. Before then, determination was nary installation for printing colour successful the country. All colour jobs had to beryllium sent to the UK for processing. The commencement of Academy Press, therefore, was a invited improvement which reverberated circular the magnitude and breadth of Independent Nigeria.

Hope Waddel

Credit for the precise archetypal acceptable of printing instrumentality successful Nigeria successful the black-and-white Linotype days goes to 2 missionaries of the Christian Missionary Society (CMS) Messrs Hope Waddel and Samuel Eagerly who established the Hope Waddel Press successful Calabar successful 1846 for wide reproduction of spiritual tracts, booklets, flyers etc successful 1846.

Rev Henry Townsend, an Anglican missionary with an oculus connected professionalism, established the archetypal printing schoolhouse successful Abeokuta successful 1854 and went connected to pioneer the constitution of the archetypal paper known arsenic Iwe Iroyin Fun Awon Egba Ati Yoruba (the paper for Egba-speaking radical and Yorubas) successful 1859. The printing property and schoolhouse yet served arsenic an avenue for the grooming of qualified printers and, subsequently, journalists.

The printing operations and processes astatine that clip were manual. Printers utilized to acceptable types, missive by letter, and enactment the galleys connected machines for printing. They aboriginal precocious to printing instrumentality similar an Arab, Golden Jobber, Jadimberg and Heidelberg’s Platen (letterpress). The printing commercialized became rather lucrative with the zeal for Western acquisition successful the Southwest portion of the country. By 1930, determination were good implicit 30 printing establishments successful Nigeria. By 1933, the Federal Government had established its ain printing press.

Foreigners (mainly comprising manufacturers of printing of instrumentality and consumables) started exploring the large potentials disposable successful the state done section representatives charged with section sales, installation and attraction of printing machines. RT Briscoe was established successful 1957 chiefly to merchantability Heidelberg’s scope of printing equipment. Manufacturers’ representatives specified arsenic Spicers Nig Ltd, Monotype, WTN, Vitra, Civiletis, Heptagon, IPP (Ferrostaal) etc. came into the representation successful aboriginal years.

Colour Challenge

Nigerian printers were doing reasonably good successful presumption of gathering the section printing needs of the assorted sectors of its economy. But determination was a yawning lacuna exposed by the commencement of DRUM magazine—the archetypal colour mag successful the country. Founded successful South Africa by a maverick entrepreneur, Jim Bailey, DRUM mirrored the culture, hopes and aspirations of Africans some successful agrarian and municipality settings. For the archetypal time, it provided an avenue for fashionable brands successful assorted concern sectors to advertise their products successful colour.
As determination was nary commercialized printer with colour facilities successful Nigeria, DRUM mag and different specified colour jobs had to beryllium printed successful the UK oregon elsewhere successful Europe. That was the concern until Academy Press came into the country successful 1965. It did not marque a expansive introduction successful a hoopla; it virtually sneaked into the marketplace connected a bedewed time successful Ilupeju Industrial Estate, wherever 1 of the trucks ferrying the crates sank successful the muddy road.
Academy Press was a imaginativeness powered by a tri-continental tone of cooperation, bringing unneurotic the champion of Africa, Europe and America. It was a kid of unbridled courage, considering that the small acorn planted successful the marshes of Ilupeju has present matured to go an awesome Iroko tree.

Enter Academy Press

The archetypal subscribers to the imagination were Dick Gamble, an American entrepreneur; Alade Idris Animashaun, a postgraduate of economics who was quitting his charismatic occupation successful the national civilian work to prosecute his gumptious dream; David Yellop, a British graphic creator and businessman; and Ian Pritchard, a British entrepreneur who had served arsenic wide manager of DRUM mag successful Ghana and Nigeria. Of the lot, lone Yellop and Pritchard were acquainted with the workings of a printing press.

Also connected the board, astatine assorted times arsenic non-executive members of the committee were Prof Babs Fafunwa, Chief Olu Akinkugbe, Chief S.O. Oguntimehin and Prof Akin Mabogunje.

From the onset, Academy Press kept stringent standards, successful affirmation of its assertion of being the location of printing excellence. The institution became an invaluable spouse successful gathering the printing needs of commercialized and concern concerns. As the state became much sophisticated, the steadfast besides retooled appropriately to guarantee that it acquired the due exertion to conscionable exacting standards.
The lipid roar of the 1970s and aboriginal 1980s further propelled the maturation of the Nigerian people and graphics industry, starring to the constitution of galore printing presses each implicit the country, but particularly successful Lagos and the Southwest portion of Nigeria. Facilities for colour separation, hitherto an exclusive sphere ...