The Nigerian Publishers Association (NPA) has called on the Federal Government to urgently implement the newly enacted Copyright Law to curb piracy in the country, describing the situation as having reached “a frightening dimension.”
The President of the association, Alhaji Lukman Dauda, made the call while addressing a press conference to mark the 2025 edition of World Book and Copyright Day. He stated that the volume of pirated materials in the country had become alarming and required urgent attention.
Alhaji Dauda, who is also the Chairman-in-Council of the Publishers Association, emphasised the need to address this act of economic sabotage. He noted that “with a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of over N100 billion in the book industry annually, any market/sales lost to the pirate is a loss of revenue to the government.”
He added that “as law-abiding corporate citizens, our members pay their company income tax regularly based on profit derived from sales volume; while the pirates operate free of tax to government. Therefore, the lower the sales volume, the lower the tax liability, and the lower the revenue accruable to government.”
He therefore urged the government to act swiftly to stem the economic losses, saying, “In the area of book piracy, we call on the appropriate authorities to ensure the recently enacted Copyright Law is implemented to the letter with adequate and maximum penalties applied to the perpetrators of the dastardly act.”
The publishers also commended the efforts of the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) in combating piracy, stating, “We plead that government should ensure the commission is adequately funded to be able to significantly make the desired impact in the fight against piracy.”
He reiterated the NPA’s commitment to supporting the NCC whenever necessary but called for “proper collaborative efforts between the NCC, the Nigeria Customs Service, the Nigeria Police Force, and other security agencies in the fight against international and cross-border as well as local book piracy.
“When the heat is applied by all security agencies, the pirates’ activities will be brought to the lowest level.”
Alhaji Dauda also stressed the need for continuous public sensitisation against patronising pirated books and instructional materials, especially considering the economic implications. “When there are no markets for pirates to sell, they will certainly divert their energies to legitimate means of livelihood,” he said.
Speaking on the theme of this year’s celebration, “Read Your Way,” he described it as timely and relevant, noting that “the theme cannot be more apt at this time as it underscores the important role books play in paving the way for a better tomorrow.” He further highlighted that “of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), books play a foundational role in more than 75% of them.”
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The NPA, as the umbrella body of all reputable book publishers in Nigeria, chose the sub-theme: “Access to Knowledge: Balancing Book Availability and Copyright.” Alhaji Dauda called for the establishment of more libraries in schools and public places, and stressed the importance of equipping them with both physical and digital books to improve access.
The publishers also urged the government to create a conducive environment for investment in local paper production, saying this would “provide the needed ingredient for core raw material availability and its multiplier effect of cheaper books due to lower production cost.”
Alhaji Dauda concluded: “For the umpteenth time, we call on the government to remove import duties on other printing materials imported for the purpose of book production. Alternatively, the duties on such should be reduced to the barest minimum.”
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