“ It is not easy to be a pioneer — but oh, it is fascinating! I would not trade one moment, even the worst moment, for all the riches in the world.”
– Elizabeth Blackwell
By Wole Olaoye
“ It is not easy to be a pioneer — but oh, it is fascinating! I would not trade one moment, even the worst moment, for all the riches in the world.”
– Elizabeth Blackwell
When discussing colour printing in Nigeria, one recalls that in the beginning was Academy Press, sixty years ago. Before then, there was no facility for printing colour in the country. All colour jobs had to be sent to the UK for processing. The birth of Academy Press, therefore, was a welcome development which reverberated round the length and breadth of Independent Nigeria.
HOPE WADDEL
Credit for the very first set of printing equipment in Nigeria in the black-and-white Linotype days goes to two missionaries of the Christian Missionary Society (CMS) Messrs Hope Waddel and Samuel Eagerly who established the Hope Waddel Press in Calabar in 1846 for mass reproduction of religious tracts, booklets, flyers etc in 1846.
Rev Henry Townsend, an Anglican missionary with an eye on professionalism, established the first printing school in Abeokuta in 1854 and went on to pioneer the establishment of the first newspaper known as Iwe Iroyin Fun Awon Egba Ati Yoruba (the newspaper for Egba-speaking people and Yorubas) in 1859. The printing press and school eventually served as an avenue for the training of qualified printers and, subsequently, journalists.
The printing operations and processes at that time were manual. Printers used to set types, letter by letter, and put the galleys on machines for printing. They later advanced to printing equipment like an Arab, Golden Jobber, Jadimberg and Heidelberg’s Platen (letterpress). The printing trade became quite lucrative with the zeal for Western education in the Southwest part of the country. By 1930, there were well over 30 printing establishments in Nigeria. By 1933, the Federal Government had established its own printing press.
Foreigners (mainly comprising manufacturers of printing of equipment and consumables) started exploring the great potentials available in the country through local representatives charged with local sales, installation and maintenance of printing machines. RT Briscoe was established in 1957 primarily to sell Heidelberg’s range of printing equipment. Manufacturers’ representatives such as Spicers Nig Ltd, Monotype, WTN, Vitra, Civiletis, Heptagon, IPP (Ferrostaal) etc. came into the picture in later years.
COLOUR CHALLENGE
Nigerian printers were doing fairly well in terms of meeting the local printing needs of the various sectors of its economy. But there was a yawning lacuna exposed by the birth of DRUM magazine—the first colour magazine in the country. Founded in South Africa by a maverick entrepreneur, Jim Bailey, DRUM mirrored the culture, hopes and aspirations of Africans both in rural and urban settings. For the first time, it provided an avenue for popular brands in various industrial sectors to advertise their products in colour.
As there was no commercial printer with colour facilities in Nigeria, DRUM magazine and other such colour jobs had to be printed in the UK or elsewhere in Europe. That was the situation until Academy Press came into the scene in 1965. It did not make a grand entry in a hoopla; it virtually sneaked into the market on a wet day in Ilupeju Industrial Estate, where one of the trucks ferrying the crates sank in the muddy road.
Academy Press was a vision powered by a tri-continental spirit of cooperation, bringing together the best of Africa, Europe and America. It was a child of unbridled courage, considering that the little acorn planted in the marshes of Ilupeju has now matured to become an impressive Iroko tree.
ENTER ACADEMY PRESS
The original subscribers to the dream were Dick Gamble, an American entrepreneur; Alade Idris Animashaun, a graduate of economics who was quitting his attractive job in the federal civil service to pursue his gumptious dream; David Yellop, a British graphic artist and businessman; and Ian Pritchard, a British entrepreneur who had served as general manager of DRUM magazine in Ghana and Nigeria. Of the lot, only Yellop and Pritchard were familiar with the workings of a printing press.
Also on the board, at various times as non-executive members of the board were Prof Babs Fafunwa, Chief Olu Akinkugbe, Chief S.O. Oguntimehin and Prof Akin Mabogunje.
From the onset, Academy Press kept stringent standards, in affirmation of its claim of being the home of printing excellence. The company became an invaluable partner in meeting the printing needs of commercial and industrial concerns. As the country became more sophisticated, the firm also retooled appropriately to ensure that it acquired the appropriate technology to meet exacting standards.
The oil boom of the 1970s and early 1980s further propelled the growth of the Nigerian print and graphics industry, leading to the establishment of numerous printing presses all over the country, but especially in Lagos and the Southwest region of Nigeria. Facilities for colour separation, hitherto an exclusive preserve of foreign print houses, were installed locally as a necessary handmaiden of the main presses. This development drastically reduced the turnaround time of jobs, as all aspects of production could now be handled under one roof.
Until then, the process of transforming ideas into tangible expressions through the art and science of printing had never been more seamless.
The acquisition of cutting edge technology was the secret behind the ability of Academy Press to become the home of magazines in the 80s and 90s. Apart from DRUM, TRUST, Sadness & Joy, ATOKA and later Monthly Life, the press also handled Newswatch, Complete Football, Tell, The News, Quality and other magazines.
In those pre-smartphone days, the Ilupeju plant of the company was the Mecca for exquisite calendars, annual reports, diaries, educational and leisure books, almanacs, high volume posters, brochures, labels, periodicals, etc.
The press also has a specialised security printing section that handles sensitive confidential jobs for both the public and private sectors of the economy.
THE HORIZON
Academy Press’s commitment to delivering world-class printing solutions and creating value for stakeholders has solidified its position as a leader in the Nigerian printing landscape. The company’s continuous adaptation to technological advancements, from letterpress to offset and eventually digital printing, reflects the industry’s evolution in Nigeria.
As would be expected, the company has become a major supplier of highly skilled manpower to the industry. Most major players in the printing industry today source their core technical staff from among the alumni of Academy Press.
As Nigeria’s home of printing excellence marks its sixth decade, this columnist is proud that our paths were fated to cross again and again. Even with all the challenges in Nigeria, Academy Press is proof that companies with their eyes on the ball in pursuit of excellence in their chosen enterprise will continue to ride the storm successfully.
President Tinubu’s promise to prioritise Made-in-Nigeria goods and services under the Nigeria First policy as part of efforts to revitalise the manufacturing sector, couldn’t have come at a better time. With experienced outfits like Academy Press on the ready, there are high expectations that the best days of Nigeria’s pioneering colour printer are still ahead.
THE DOOR
“I am not afraid to be a pioneer. When a door is ajar, you need to open it fully. And once you are in that room, you need to see what other doors there might be and where they might lead.”