The Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency (LASCOPA) has warned schools against compelling parents and guardians to purchase textbooks, uniforms and other school supplies exclusively from the school or vendors chosen by the school.

The warning comes as families prepare for the resumption of schools and renewed spending on textbooks, uniforms, stationery and other educational materials.

Under the Lagos schools textbook policy, schools can prescribe the textbooks, stationery and uniforms pupils and students are required to use, but parents should generally be allowed to purchase equivalent approved items elsewhere when they are reasonably available.

Parents Can Buy School Books Elsewhere

LASCOPA’s position means a school can tell parents the particular textbook or educational material their child needs without necessarily dictating the shop from which it must be purchased.

Where the same approved product is available from another legitimate seller, parents should be able to choose where they buy it.

The consumer protection agency said:

“Where equivalent approved products are reasonably available elsewhere, parents and guardians should generally be free to choose where to purchase them.”

The directive could provide significant relief to parents who have complained over the years about being required to purchase books and other supplies directly from schools or particular vendors, sometimes at prices higher than those available elsewhere.

Lagos Warning Also Covers School Uniforms and Supplies

The warning is not limited to textbooks.

It also covers school uniforms and other required school supplies, meaning schools should avoid unnecessarily restricting parents to a particular seller when the approved or equivalent item can be obtained elsewhere.

Schools are still permitted to determine the appropriate books, stationery and uniform specifications required by their students.

The distinction is that specifying what a child needs does not automatically give a school the right to determine where the parent must buy it.

Parents Asked to Report Unfair Practices

LASCOPA has encouraged parents and guardians who believe a school is unfairly restricting their purchasing options to report the matter for investigation.

The agency reiterated that parents are consumers and are therefore entitled to protections against unfair commercial practices.

“In Lagos State, consumers are kings,” the agency stated while encouraging residents to speak up when they believe their consumer rights have been violated.

Similar Textbook Reforms Emerging Across Nigeria

The Lagos development comes amid a wider push to reduce unnecessary textbook expenses for Nigerian families.

Earlier in 2026, the Federal Government inaugurated a Book Ranking and Selection Committee as part of reforms covering textbook quality, pricing transparency, edition control and the separation of reusable textbooks from consumable workbooks.

The Federal Government’s reforms are expected to reduce the number of approved textbooks per subject and ensure selected textbooks remain in use for a minimum period rather than being unnecessarily replaced every year.

The government has also raised concerns about publishers combining textbooks with consumable workbooks, which prevents younger siblings or other pupils from reusing the books.

Imo State Announces Similar Protection for Parents

The Lagos announcement is particularly significant following a similar policy direction in Imo State.

On September 8, 2026, the Imo State Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education reiterated that parents in the state are free to purchase their children’s textbooks from bookstores of their choice, provided they do not purchase pirated copies.

Imo’s policy goes further by requiring textbooks to be reusable by younger siblings and remain in use for four consecutive years.

The state has also moved against embedded workbooks that make textbooks consumable and effectively require families to purchase new copies for every child.

Imo State Commissioner for Education, Prof. Bernard-Thompson O. Ikegwuoha, has described the Lagos development as reflecting the direction of reforms already being implemented in Imo State.

What This Means for Parents and Schools

For parents, the Lagos directive means that being given a compulsory book list does not necessarily mean being given a compulsory seller.

Schools can still prescribe the correct textbooks and specifications needed to ensure pupils use uniform learning materials. However, where the same approved items are legitimately available elsewhere, parents should generally retain the freedom to choose where to purchase them.

For school owners and administrators, the development also signals growing scrutiny across Nigeria of practices that tie compulsory educational materials to particular sellers.

With Lagos, Imo State and the Federal Government all taking steps aimed at textbook affordability and purchasing transparency, the way Nigerian schools select, sell and require textbooks could be entering a significant period of reform.