Stakeholders in Nigeria's publishing industry have called for the reactivation of the National Book Council, a body established during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, to strengthen coordination in the sector. The appeal emerged from a roundtable discussion organised by the Nigerian Publishers Association (NPA) on Thursday in Lagos, held alongside the International Book Fair at the National Theatre. Participants included publishers, authors, librarians, and education officials, who cited piracy, rising production costs, declining reading culture, and weak library systems as key threats to the industry.
The roundtable, themed "The Future of Publishing in Nigeria: Survival, Scale and Sustainability," highlighted the need for a central body to align the efforts of publishers, writers, printers, booksellers, and government agencies. Alhaji Lukman Dauda, President of the NPA, stated that the publishing industry was too vital to function without structured oversight, emphasizing that books are essential to national educational development. He urged the Federal Government to involve publishers in policy decisions concerning educational materials.
The stakeholders proposed that the revived National Book Council would coordinate policy formulation and promote book development across the country. Dignitaries at the event included Olu Obafemi, Dr John Asein, Director-General of the Nigerian Copyright Commission, and Prof. Chinwe Anunobi, National Librarian and CEO of the National Library of Nigeria. Prof. Salisu Shehu, Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council, also attended. A representative of Generation Z at the forum rejected the notion that digital formats have replaced printed books, saying hard-copy books offer a more personal reading experience.
The same industry leaders now calling for revival of the National Book Council operated without it for nearly two decades after it lapsed. Alhaji Lukman Dauda insists books are central to education, yet no timeline was given for when publishers themselves would present a formal proposal to government. If the council is so critical, its absence during past education policy shifts raises questions about the sector's own follow-through. The call rings hollow without accountability for why publishers waited until now to demand what they say has always been essential.
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