follow and like on:
By Priscilla Osaje
Dr John Asein, Director-General, Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), has urged the All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS) to collaborate with the commission in bringing the value of copyright system to their schools.
Asein made the call at the 176th Congress of ANCOPSS, FCT Branch, Government Science and Technical College, Kwali, Abuja.
According to him, principals’ watchword is excellence and they play a vital role in ensuring excellence, not only in their studies but studies of their students by tapping and harnessing the creative potentials of the students under their care.
He said that ANCOPSS, collaborating with NCC, would help the students to tap into their creative talents while understanding the copyright system from a young age.
“Remember I said you are indeed moral compasses, you are master builders and I will want us to begin to collaborate more.
“We want to collaborate more with anchors to ensure that we bring the value of the copyright system to our schools,” he said.
The NCC boss urged the principals to respect rights and discourage piracy in acquiring books for students.
“From the experience we have had in recent times, we now see that a lot of pirates have moved away from the bookstores and they now engage with schools.
“In some cases, the principals or heads of schools are not aware of the game. But unfortunately, in some cases, the principals and heads of schools are in sync with the pirates.
“I ask a question. If a publisher is in Abuja, your school is in the FCT and you are ordering your books from Abuja or from Lagos
“How come the one from Lagos is cheaper than the one that the publisher is selling here in Abuja? It is cheap because they are stolen and pirated.
“So that should be a red flag, but because we look at the price, we think that we are making the game.
“As I earlier said, you are not only moulding people, you are indeed helping to strengthen this nation and the future of our creatives for tomorrow,” he added.
He appealed to the principals to desist from any act that infringes on the Copyright Act, stressing that under the Copyright Act “it is an offence to be in possession, to sell or distribute pirated books for commercial purposes.
“We acknowledge the place of the principal in the education system and also as
gatekeepers, moulders of characters and of course touch bearers.
“So, we think that if you want to address the issues concerning the book sector, we have to talk to major role players like the principals.
“We are getting more involved in pushing copyright knowledge in schools. So, we want the principals to be aware of this to help us,” he stressed.
He added that taking the copyright sensitisation and education to schools would help children to benefit from the copyright system and also cultivate a culture of respect for copyright.
“The trend of noticing more and more pirated books being introduced through schools is because of the fights and the consistent push that we have given to our piracy drive.
“That is the reason why we are having more inspections in schools and we are doing spot visits to all the schools. So, we need to inform the principals so that when they see us they should not be surprised.
“Importantly also, to encourage them on what to do and what not to do because the more they know that anyone found with books, like I told them, will be arrested.
“If you are selling those books to students, we will treat them as a bookseller and if we find pirated books with you, we will arrest them as pirates,” he stressed.
Asein urged the principals to pass the message on to their members so that they would not be forced to disrupt any school by picking up their principal.
Also speaking, Mr Samuel Okpe, National Public Relations Officer of ANCOPSS, Government Secondary School Kwali, appreciated Asein for such a timely information aimed at guiding them against piracy.
“I am happy because all the principals in FCT are here. In our today’s business, we are going to discuss this issue of piracy as part of our agenda.
“We will also tell the principals what is wrong and also guide them to follow the right course in obtaining these books,” he said.
Dr Innocent Agbanu, Chairman, Nigeria Publishers Association (NPA), said he was overwhelmed with the depth of the NCC boss’ presentation, which basically focused on enlightening the principals on the Copyright Act.
Agbanu, who is also the Regional Manager, University Press PLC, said the NCC boss was very intentional concerning copyright laws.
“I actually like the way he did his presentation and the consent mostly from the publishers,” he said.
Agbanu further said that they had issues with the school owners, proprietors, principals, mostly in FCT, because most times they don’t want to patronise publishers directly.
“I love the way he set the record straight; it is a good one because he has sent a word of caution to the principals.
“I want to use this opportunity to tell the principals that these publishers are your friends. Most often they run away from publishers to say they want to get books that are cheaper.
“But the NCC boss was actually right to say it that we are the right owners and the publishers. No matter the price we give you, you are supposed to buy from us,” he added.
He reiterated that publishers should be contacted directly and partnered with for better prices with affordable discounts.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the D-G and surveillance team visited some bookshops, printing and artworks outlets in Gwagwalada to ensure compliance of the Copyright Act. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Joseph Edeh
follow and like on:
