As the world commemorates World Book and Copyright Day, the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) has reiterated its commitment to its ABC action plan to promote public awareness of copyright.
With 2025 World Book and Copyright Day emphasising how literary expressions shape global institutions and the importance of copyright in the digital age, the Director-General of the Commission, Dr. John Asein, has reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to safeguarding the rights of authors and deepening the fight against piracy.
He made this known in a statement issued by the Director of Public Affairs, Mrs Ijeoma Egbunike, to mark the 2025 World Book and Copyright Day. The day, which is observed annually on April 23, is set aside by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) to focus on books, celebrate authors, promote reading, encourage non-discriminatory access to knowledge, and raise Copyright awareness.
“In commemoration of 2024 World Book and Copyright Day, the Commission launched a year-long intervention programme to promote reading for pleasure and build respect for copyright through an ABC Action Plan viz: to adopt measures to make reading more fun; to bring books closer to more children and to choose change champions for books and copyright.
“The Commission is, more than ever, poised to achieve the action plan with the setting up of more Copyright clubs in secondary schools and increased Copyright sensitisation programmes in schools to encourage creativity, promote reading, and encourage non-discriminatory access to knowledge and to raise copyright awareness,” Asein stated.
With this year’s theme: “Read Your Way”, which is the same as that of last year, focusing on the transformative power of reading, the DG called for “enhanced collaborations of government, development partners and institutions towards entrenching a sound reading culture. He emphasised that the celebration reinforces the critical role of books in shaping minds, fostering knowledge, and supporting sustainable development. He noted that books, in both print and digital forms, remain essential tools for sharing ideas across cultures and generations.
He also highlighted the growing importance of digital technology in broadening access to knowledge and enhancing global readership, especially among young people.
“NCC will continue to reaffirm its commitment to champion and promote models that will make more books available in accessible and readable formats, enhance and promote reading among young readers, and develop policies and strategies to promote copyright awareness and respect for authors and copyright works.
“Promotion and publishing of books and readable publications across indigenous languages and digital platforms must be encouraged to actualise the vision of promoting books and reading across the board,” the DG stated.
Meanwhile, UNESCO has designated Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as the World Book Capital for 2025, in recognition of the city’s commitment to promoting reading and the literary arts. The designation will run from 23 April 2025 to 22 April 2026.