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| Barr. Rukayya Muhammad Yeldu with other NCC Kaduna Office Inspecting textbooks |
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| NCC Kaduna Office At a Bookshop During Compliance Inspection |
The NCC Coordinator in Kaduna State, Barr. Rukayya Muhammad Yeldu made the remark shortly after an inspection and compliance exercise at the Abubakar Gumi Central Market, Kaduna.
Barr. Rukayya Muhammad explained that the exercise aimed to inspect, sensitise, and ensure compliance by monitoring booksellers and outlets engaged in copyright-related activities.
She said the inspection exercise was part of the NCC’s renewed effort to strengthen copyright enforcement nationwide.
In an exclusive interview, Barrister Abdullahi Alfa Mohammed, the Head of Operations for the NCC's Kaduna Office, reported a "very appreciated" level of compliance from the market following recent attacks on pirated goods.
"This enlightenment program we held for the association last year at the Federal Secretariat has yielded results," Mohammed stated. "They have taken the charge of the commission to lead Kaduna State out of piracy."
Highlighting the Commission's authority, Mohammed pointed to a recently locked-up shop as a warning to others. "Under Section 86 of the Copyright Act, we have the power to seal off premises for further examination, especially if someone attempts to evade inspection," he explained. "I believe by these examples, they will not want to have anything to do with copyright infringement."
The operation, which involved inspecting sales records to ensure books were sourced from legitimate publishers, is part of a broader strategy to bolster the nation's creative economy. Mohammed emphasized that the initiative ensures that authors "benefit maximally from their God-given talent."
He also revealed that the Commission's Director-General, Dr. John Asien, himself an author, is aware of the challenges within the publishing supply chain and is poised to take action.
Booksellers Plead for Intervention Against Publishers
While expressing cooperation with the NCC, the Chairman of the Kaduna United Books and Stationery Dealers Association, Elder Chukwu Emeka Nnoroka, unveiled a critical threat to his members' survival: the publishers themselves.
Nnoroka praised the orderly and cooperative nature of the commission's exercise but acknowledged one locked shop amongst his members, philosophically noting, "sometimes, even among the twelve disciples, there is Judas." He assured that his task force would investigate the reason for the closure.
The chairman's tone shifted, however, when detailing the existential challenge facing his association. He accused publishers of bypassing booksellers and selling directly to schools, a practice he says is crippling their businesses.
"The producers, being the publishers, are not supposed to be going to the final consumers," Nnoroka argued. "After production, instead of meeting the middlemen—the booksellers—they go straight to the schools."
This direct-to-school model, often made mandatory for parents, has decimated the market for booksellers. Elder Chukwu Emeka revealed a stark decline in membership, from about 100 last year to fewer than 100 now, with many veteran sellers unable to "withstand the heat anymore."
"Every year, we keep on experiencing that is improving to the worst, honestly," he lamented. "If this continues, I wonder the state of the booksellers in the next three years... if every year, we keep on decreasing."
Having been in the book business for over 30 years, Nnoroka made a passionate plea to the NCC to intervene. "I urge the commission to speak with the publisher to know how to put a foot stop to this," he said. "The company used to sell to the booksellers direct, not to the school. But this time around, it's another thing altogether.”
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