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Gov't doesn't see publishing as a contribution to the economy

Published by Tribune on Sat, 10 Jan 2015


IN this interview with Kehinde Akinseinde, Mr Samuel Kolawola, the immediate past President, Nigerian Publishers' Association (NPA) and Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, University Press Plc, decried government's attitude towards publishing industry in the country. He, however, proffered solutions, believing that the industry could attract foreign investments into the country.What are the factors affecting the publishing business in the country'The school curriculum has been a major threat to the business as the government changes the curriculum at will. A curriculum is supposed to last for a certain period of time. When a new curriculum comes out, people are supposed to be oriented on the new curriculum. Publishers are supposed to study this curriculum and produce books that will be used to teach students in schools. But the problem we have is that you've invested so much money in producing books for a curriculum and the next year the curriculum changes. This doesn't make for long term planning and these result is loss, as we have to start preparing books for the new curriculum, ignoring the previous ones that would be made obsolete by the change in curriculum.In the last five to six years, there were changes in the curriculum which destabilise so many publishing houses and affected our performances and businesses. If we can have consistency in the part of the curriculum, things will be better for us. Sometime ago, some subjects were introduced, one or two years into it, we were told they had to change with the excuse that the feedback the authority was getting wasn't good enough.Another challenge is the attitude of the government to the importance of publishing as a business. Many people, not even limited to Nigeria, do not know what publishers do. They think all what publishers do is printing alone. So, when you talk about publishing, people talk about printing. When people do not know what you do, they do not give you the type of attention that is needed. Even the government does not understand what we do; so they saw nothing wrong in buying pirated books.Piracy is another big challenge. Students don't see anything wrong in photocopying books; even the teachers saw nothing wrong. This has increased the rate of piracy in the country. Pirates don't pay taxes because they work underground. They don't employ the kind of people we do because they don't need them. We employ authors, editors, proof-readers, illustrators, etc. All pirates do is to take the finished copy and mass-produce.We believe the government is not doing much about piracy in the country. If we have enough backing from the government, the battle will be won. Most of the pirated books come from Asia and other parts of the country. We know where they are coming from. If the government can give the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) enough backing such as it gives NAFDAC by going to those country to discourage piracy, results will be seen.Are you saying the government isn't doing anything in this regard'The NCC officials are doing what they can, but if there is no funding and the backing of the government, the effort will be futile. Political will is important. Many times, officials of NCC are attacked during raids because the support is not there. If a NAFDAC official is beaten up during a raid in a market, you can be sure that the full force of the Federal Government will descend on such market. We don't think NCC is supported enough; that's why they are doing their best and yet nothing is coming forth. The government needs to pay a lot of attention to it because this is an industry that can bring a lot of foreign exchange to the country. But when even in the country, piracy is killing us, how can we go out there to attract foreigners'In the time past, many publishers have been selling books to Ghana and other western countries in Africa. But now, when we can't survive at home due to piracy, how do we go out there and make success out of our books' The country is porous. Most of the books are coming from abroad. They are cheaper and the quality is better than the original ones we are producing here in the country.If the government can see that publishers are contributing to the economy, then they will do something about piracy.What about the taxes being imposed on publishing houses'That's a recent challenge that has caused a lot of problems and if not changed, will continue. The argument has always been between the printers and publishers. The printers complained that the government does not give them contracts. So, the government imposes duties on us. They say the publishers are killing the economy. They now put on the policy that could destroyed the publishers, for the sake of the printers. It is not that we don't give them books to print but because we have had bad experience in which they do not keep to time due to lack of infrastructural facilities in the country. It is not that publishers do not print in Nigeria at all, but the quantity is limited. It is cheaper to print outside Nigeria and the quality is better. You don't have to buy papers neither do you have to deposit money because of your record with them. They print and send it for you. After you have sold the book, you give them the money. That has helped so many Nigerian publishers to grow. But to print in Nigeria, you have to buy paper, you have to pay deposits and how many banks are willing to give publishers loans at a low interest rate'Another reality in terms of policy is import duties. If you import Nigeria paper today, you are going to pay duties, but the book content is free. Why' Because there is a UNESCO argument that says free movement of books across countries all over the world. What I believe we should do is to see how we can review or reduce the duties to make our market competitive.What we should be looking at is how to make Nigerian printers more competitive.During the administration of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, he imposed two and a half per cent duties but when so much noise was made, he withdrew it. Now we are not talking of 10 per cent, 20 per cent. When you look at the totality, it is 50 per cent.The government has good intentions towards the country; they want to bring back the reading culture, but we have forgotten all about that. What we are just seeing is the opportunity to make revenue and by doing, that printers in the country will grow. We have forgotten about bringing back any book. About 80 per cent to 90 per cent of the books used in tertiary institutions in Nigeria, not only Nigeria but Africa, come from outside.What should be done to reconcile all parties involved in publishing'One of the things the government should do is to look at the prints input, the machines, that are coming in. Maybe you make it tax-free or reduce the duties on them. For the paper that is used, because we don't produce papers here anymore, reduce the duties on them. That makes the Nigerian printers cooperative.Also, the power supply needs to be improved on, because most of the printers rely on generating sets. I know of a printer that is using his own IPP which is at a cost and this is the cost they want to pass on publishers.The second thing which is what the printers are contending about is printing in the country. The government should allow for a certain percentage of printing in Nigeria, just as it is done in Ghana.For any contract given out, a particular percentage should be printed in Nigeria even if it is 10 per cent. Lets see how our printers will be able to cope with it. If they are able to, then it should be increased per time to see if they would be able to deliver on time. If the government starts somewhere by saying 'do this' and it is done successfully, then more contracts will be given to them.There was a time publishers in Nigeria were winning contract from the government but it wasn't executed on time.The reality is that if we print in Nigeria, the government will have to give enough time even three months to supply. If that is done, then there won't be disappointment.
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