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As Nigeria joined the global community to celebrate World Book and Copyright Day, the Director General of the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), Dr. John Asein has highlighted the role of the commission in promoting and protecting the rights of authors even as he stressed the importance of reading for pleasure, and supporting a child's right to choose their own books.
The theme of the 2025 celebration: Read Your Way, same as that of last year, focus on the importance of books, promote reading and raise awareness on the role of copyright in promoting and protecting the rights of authors as well as the importance of reading for pleasure, supporting a child's right to choose their own books and embedding reading as a lifelong habit with numerous benefits.
According to the DG, the day is also a time to highlight the importance of books, authors, publishers, and libraries, while also safeguarding the copyright of authors.
World Book and Copyright Day 2025 emphasises on how books can pave the way for a better future, focusing on how literary expressions shape global institutions and the importance of copyright in the digital age.
Moreso, he noted that the day also aims to interweave the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with literature, promoting a future where knowledge, culture, and sustainability coexist and to promote the enjoyment of books and reading, ensuring that everyone has access to the most beautiful invention for sharing ideas across time.
"The transformative power of reading to shape character, stimulate the mind and empower the individual to realise his or her potentials cannot be over-emphasised.
"Technological advancements in the digital age to overcome limitations of time, space, reach for knowledge and gain insight for quality life has continued to shape policies positively for societal benefits.
"The book no doubt in whatever form, remains a veritable vehicle for transporting ideas between generations, cultures, and civilisations. Enhanced collaborations of government, development partners and institutions towards entrenching a sound reading culture through promotion and publishing of books and readable publications across indigenous languages and digital platforms
"In commemoration of this year’s celebration, the 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.
He recalled that in celebrating the 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.
It will be recalled that Nigeria’s Nobel Laureate in Literature, playwright, essayist, literary icon and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, Professor Wole Soyinka was named the first Copyright Change Champion.
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, encourage non-discriminatory access to knowledge and to raise copyright awareness.
Through deepened synergy with Commission’s stakeholders in the renewed fight against piracy, Rights will be better protected and Authors encouraged to create more readable materials, readily available to a greater population of people and in accessible formats for persons living with disabilities, especially blind and visually impaired persons.
The UNESCO World Book Capital for 2025 is Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This designation recognizes the city's commitment to fostering reading and promoting books. Rio de Janeiro remains the World Book Capital from April 23, 2025, to April 22, 2026.
The World Book and Copyright Day on 23rd April 2025, a day set aside by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).