In commemoration of World Book and Copyright Day, 3rd April 2022, Nigerians have been urged to embrace reading, support the creative industry and show more respect for copyright as a veritable tool for wealth creation and sustainable national development.
Director-General of Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), Dr. John O. Asein, who made the call on the Day, noted that this year’s theme, Read…so you never feel alone’ highlighted the relevance of reading as an aspect of life that has social bearing on the individual and society.
“Because reading shapes and sharpens the mind, it is important that humanity is fed with wholesome materials that would in turn help the reader to contribute his or her best to the development of society. This is particularly important for our children as their fertile minds are daily competing with other channels of information and learning”, he stated.
He stressed that the theme for this year underscored the importance of books to the acquisition of knowledge and as catalysts for national development.”
The Director-General indicated that the new Copyright Bill recently passed by the Senate made provision for the domestication of the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works by Visually Impaired Persons and Persons with Print Disabilities. “This further shows the Federal Government’s commitment to its policy of inclusiveness, equal access and non-discrimination against persons living with disabilities,” he added.
According to him, “in the spirit of the Marrakesh Treaty and the Discrimination Against Persons With Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, the Commission is also championing the campaign to allow more blind children have access to books and learning materials.”
Dr. Asein called on publishers to embrace the initiative and make more books born accessible for the benefit of persons “who are blind, visually impaired or otherwise print disabled”.
The Director-General disclosed that the Commission was reviving Copyright and Creativity Clubs in schools to, amongst other things, promote reading and respect for creativity.
In his words, “As we strive to protect copyright, we should also be committed to the sustainable use of copyright products, such as books to promote the values and aspirations of society. In promoting respect for copyright, we must also strive to maintain a congenial atmosphere for creative enterprises to flourish.”
He stated further that with other agencies and stakeholders in the book and knowledge industry, “we must put a lie to the old stereotype that the best place to hide something from black people is in a book! To this end, the Commission will be doing more to promote the culture of reading as a pastime for entertainment, enlightenment and education”.
He noted that the Commission joined the rest of the world to celebrate the 2022 World Book and Copyright Day as an annual event initiated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) to promote reading and celebrate authors and books.
Dr. Asein observed that books, like vehicles of ideas in the creative space, “have been man’s endearing companion and a window to the world of knowledge, helping the mind to manage stress and expand horizons. As our own Wole Soyinka once put it, reading ‘enriches [everyone] as a human being’ and enlarges our horizon on humanity”.
He remarked: “Today, our children are more independent and interactive in a technology-driven world. As they exercise their power to select what to do, listen to, watch or read, their minds and techspaces are turned into what Ngugi wa Thiong’o once described as the ‘battlefield on which is fought a continuous war between the forces that are pledged to confirm our humanity and those determined to dismantle it; those who strive to build a protective wall around it, and those who wish to pull it down; those who seek to mould it and those committed to breaking it up. . .”
The Director-General stressed that as the agency of government responsible for the promotion, regulation and enforcement of copyright, the Commission recognised the importance of reading as the bedrock of creativity.

Vincent A. Oyefeso
Director, Public Affairs
For: Director-General