‘Copyright infringement is a giant plague to publishing in Nigeria’

Members of the Nigerian Publishers Association (NPA) have urged President Muhammadu Buhari to assent to the Amended Copyright Bill, adding that it will be a giant step towards redefining copyright protection in Nigeria.

President/Chairman-in-Council Nigerian Publishers Association, Chief Uchenna Cyril Anioke, who made this known at the 2022 annual conference and general meeting of the association, said the presidential assent to the bill would energize copyright enforcement in the country.

“The biggest plague we have is copyright infringement and it is criminally done in this part of the world that a lot of publishers are almost grounded. Timely assent to that bill will strengthen us and also the NCC – one body that has done so much in the fight against piracy,” he said.

He added, “I will like to appreciate the National Assembly for the quick passage of the Amended Copyright Bill, the Senate passed the Amended Copyright Bill on April 6 2022. The Bill was then transmitted to the House of Representatives for concurrence. The House of Representatives on July 27 considered and passed the Bill.

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“We, therefore, appeal to His Excellency, the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), to please, give his final and early assent to the Bill. This will energize copyright enforcement and help the Nigerian Copyright Commission to do more.”

The keynote speaker, Prof A. K. Usman urged the association to lobby to ensure that literature is made compulsory in secondary school.

While delivering his paper themed, “Redefining publishing and reading culture in a digital era,” he said the association can only champion reading if literature is mandatory for all secondary students as obtainable in developed countries.

The deputy minority leader, Federal House of Representatives, Toby Okechukwu, was the chairman of the occasion while students of Government Secondary School Pyakassa, Almanar Centre for Islamic Education and pupils of Baptist Nursery and Primary School Garki thrilled the audience with their presentations.