Ahead of the 2025/2026 academic session, the Nigerian Copyright Commission, NCC, has charged Nigerian Publishers and other stakeholders to team up against piracy and other challenges affecting publishing and the creative sector.
NCC Coordinator, Uyo office in charge of Akwa Ibom and Cross River States, Mrs Cornelia Ibanga, gave the charge at a stakeholders meeting in Uyo with publishers and sales representatives.
The Coordinator commended publishers for their dedication and cooperation while assuring them of the Commission’s support and collaboration towards the success of their business.
Mrs Ibanga, who sensitized participants on their rights and on procedures guiding taking down of infringing and pirated books, as provided in sections of the Copyright Act, explained that the NCC is serious in the fight against piracy.
She advised them on the need to always make contractual agreements, with booksellers and schools, in their business dealings to ensure there is reasonable return on their investment.
The Coordinator called for more collaboration with the Commission while enjoining publishers to grow their businesses and the industry, noting that the commission has a zero tolerance to piracy.
Mrs Ibanga gave an assurance that with their assistance, the commission will intensify sensitization, inspections and raids with the sole aim of achieving desired results of curbing or reducing book piracy to the barest minimum.
“Piracy is a menace to the society and needs to be tackled systematically to achieve sustainable results, the commission has given you the platform and opportunity to collaborate and take the fight to the culprits and get them arrested as well as prosecuted” she said.
Mrs Ibanga charged them to also sanitize their staff and workers to ensure that their representatives are not sabotaging their efforts with shoddy deals with their clientele.
In their separate remarks, the publishers and sales representatives expressed regrets that some publishers had to print their books outside Nigeria because of challenges back home.
They noted that with the aide of end users patronage of pirates, the piracy business thrives at the detriment of publishers.
“It is cheaper for us to print outside the country due to high cost of power, high cost of labour, cost of printing materials, paper itself is on the high side,” he said.
They called for a platform for scrutinising how and where schools procure books as a means of curbing piracy.
IKECHUKWU AGBAMEGBUE, UYO
