On Thursday, 31st March 2022, the Nigerian Copyright Commission south east and south south directorate led by the zonal director/coordinator Mrs Cecilia Ngozi Okeke paid a courtesy visit to the President, Nigerian Publishers Association.
Hon. Uchenna Cyril Anioke, Ph.D the NPA president, stated emphatically that it is time to send piracy packing out of Nigeria. According to him, it is long overdue.
He made mention of some NPA’s contribution to the eradication of piracy in Nigeria.

Hon. Anioke further stated;
“The Book industry is such a sensitive part of our lives but then the government treats it with such docility. We have our products in almost every home in the world. Today, there’s no home without a book.
The Nigerian Publishers Association is determined to rid the book industry of piracy and all other ills. Our schools have become haven to pirated books. It is in the habit of our tertiary institutions to carry out unauthorized photocopying and binding of people’s works. The primary and secondary schools now get their books from inappropriate channels.

Authors need to know that a piece of work is not complete without the publisher. The author brings his manuscript and the publisher brings his design, so, before an author takes his work to another publisher, he must formally end his engagement with the previous publisher.

To bring this practice to a halt, Hon. Anioke called for a synergy among all the partners in the book ecosystem.

in his words;

“At the National level, we are proposing a summit, which I will call the super summit. The summit will be aimed at building a joint force between all the sectors in the book industry. When we come together the Government cannot stop us. The book must never die and will never die.”

“secondly, I will call for a collaboration between the Nigerian Copyright Commission, the Nigerian Publishers Association and Security agencies so as to conduct a joint raid in the streets, schools and markets where this crime is at it’s peak.”

on the final note, Anioke said;

“We also need to make active the Eastern Booksellers Association of Nigeria and we can achieve that by working with the president of the Booksellers Association of Nigeria (BAN).”