By the mid 50s, officials of the Macmillan and Company Limited in the United Kingdom started making occasional business trips to Nigeria . Such visits were undertaken principally to explore the book market of Nigeria for the growth of the British company. These visits however created local demands for their books, which were met through the few major bookshops then operating in the country.

The publications of Macmillan and Company Limited, London, grew steadily in popularity but as colonialism was drawing to an end in Nigeria, the need for suitable publications by capable indigenous authors who reflect the Nigeria cultural setting became overwhelming. This, therefore, necessitated the establishment of Macmillan Nigeria .