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BAN, NPA NCC sign historic MOU to tackle book piracy in Nigeria
By OBINNA EZUGWU
It was a milestone day for Nigeria’s book industry, on Thursday, when key stakeholders, including the Booksellers Association of Nigeria (BAN), the Nigerian Publishers Association (NPA) and the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), gathered at the Havilah Merchants Limited, Allen Avenue, Ikeja, Lagos, to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to tackle book piracy.
The MOU saw the coming together of different players in the book industry and the federal government, represented by the NCC, to agree to work in synergy to tackle book piracy in the country.
In his opening remarks at the occasion, Dr. Cyril Anioke, NPA president, noted that the MOU was a historic moment for the book industry, while expressing confidence that the aspirations of the stakeholders can be accomplished.
“We are glad that you (John Asein) were given an opportunity to continue what you are doing, and I’m sure that by the time you are done, we will be better off than we are,” Anioke said.
“Signing of this agreement is one thing that I’ve looked forward to, and what I’m going to ask BAN is to go the extra mile in order to bring these separatist book sellers under one umbrella; under BAN. It is a difficult task, but in working with the DG of NCC, that can be accomplished. When you do that, you will have everyone on board, such that when you speak from Lagos, those in Aba will listen, those in Onitsha will listen. By then, we would have agreed that we’re are working on a path.
“The book ecosystem hasn’t enjoyed a better robust ecosystem than it is enjoying now.
“Remember we agreed that there will be a summit. If we keep on doing things individually, there will be a problem. We need to look the government straight in the face and tell them that when the nation is not moving forward, it is because the book environment has been neglected. You cannot give what you don’t have.”
Dr. John Asein, the director general of NCC, in his own remarks, commended the book industry for being the most supportive in the copyright environment, while tasking stakeholders to do more in the effort to reign in on pirates.
“The book industry has become one of the most vibrant and the most supportive industries in the copyright environment, and I give credit to everyone here,” Asein said.
Stakeholders in the book industry at the event
“Incidentally, the three major players in this industry are here. The publishers are on my left, the authors are on my right, and the midwife, the Nigerian Copyright Commission is also here. We must do everything to make this industry work. My commitment is that every sector in the copyright industry must work. In the book sector, we must make every part of it work, and I believe that the sector will work.”
Dr. Asein tasked the stakeholders to make sure to arrest any book seller seen selling pirated print or soft back copy, as well as to try to bring sellers onboard to understand what is required of them.
“The day you find a soft back copy in the market, arrest that person. It doesn’t matter where it is being sold, arrest the person and trace it to where it is coming from. That is how we will start growing,” he said.
“If authors and publishers can tell us ahead of time that their book is coming out on a certain date, and that this is what it would look like, then we can nip piracy in the bud. Not when the thing has gone everywhere you make us to start running and sweating. That’s one of the things that the commission will be discussing with stakeholders at the summit.
“And talking about what we can do together, we must go to the airport to tell them; all the book sellers at the airport must know what to do and what not to do. We must do that as soon as possible. It is not enough to sign these agreements. It is not enough to get people in Ariaria or in Onitsha to say well, we’ll not do it again. If they discover that you are not serious about these agreements, and that you are not going to do anything, when they have stayed out for some months, they will come back stronger. We must regulate the book sector. We must get it right in this industry, and this is an opportunity to do so.”
Also speaking, the outgoing chairman of Nigerian Book Fair Trust (NBFT), and Managing Director, Accessible Publishing, Mr. Adedapo Gbadega, noted that the MoU was a pointer to the fact that stakeholders are finally uniting against the problem of piracy.
“This shows that we’re now uniting against our problems, which is very positive.”
He congratulated Dr. Asein on his reappointment as DG of NCC, noting that it shows that the federal government is serious about growing the book industry.
“I congratulate the DG on his reappointment. When I heard that you have been given a second term, I said to myself that the government is really serious about strengthening this industry,” he noted.
“It is a good thing that the stakeholders are coming together, and I believe that God will give us the grace to push through.”
Equally speaking, President, Association of Nigerian Authors, Mr Camillus Ukah, said the collaboration with NCC is timely, while emphasising the importance of a vibrant book industry for the development of the country.
“I commend all the stakeholders here for the effort. What I say is that everyone who is making effort here is ultimately for the good of the writer, and ultimately for the good of the nation,” he said.
“No nation can make progress without knowledge, participate in this era that is marked the knowledge economy. You can’t make progress without know, and you find this knowledge essentially in books.
“I’m happy with this agreement being signed today. It will go a long way, if properly implemented, to encourage the writer to do more.”
Pastor Dominic Omokaro, Nigerian Library Association President, who also spoke at the event, called for the collaboration to be sustained in order to make the book business more relevant.
“I appreciate the effort and the synergy I see this morning. I pray and ask that this should continue. I also want to see us collaborating and making ourselves more relevant because I believe that knowledge is found in the book, and reading will help is develop a better society,” he said.
“It is good that this is happening. It will help us to deal with this issue of piracy that has been a bane to the profession. This is a good way to start and a good way to move forward.”
Also speaking, Havilah Merchants CEO, Mr Lanre Adesuyi, emphasized the need for all players in the book industry to be brought under one umbrella.
“For me, this shows our commitment to the book industry. Honestly, because we don’t have data on books published, we don’t know what we’re losing. It is time we stood up and say that this industry will not die,” he said.
“We should have a book sellers registration council. We should not continue to have this situation where everyone is a book seller.”
In his own remarks, Mr. Dare Oluwatuyi, BAN president thanked Dr. Asein for collaborating with players in the book industry, while congratulating him on his reappointment for second term.
Oluwatuyi officially presented the association’s letter of congratulation to Asein on his reappointment.