Mr. James Asein, the Director-General of the Nigerian Copyright Commission, has called upon all states in Nigeria to adopt and implement the Marrakesh Treaty. This treaty aims to facilitate access to learning and written materials for individuals who are blind or visually impaired within the country.
Asein made this appeal during the opening ceremony of the three-day National Convention of the Nigeria Association of the Blind held in Abuja on Friday.
Highlighting the progress made by Nigeria, the Director-General stated that the country took the first step towards domesticating the Marrakesh Treaty by enacting it into law through the Copyright Act on March 17, 2023. He urged all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to follow suit and incorporate the treaty into their respective legislations.
“It is expected that with domestication of the copyright law by the government of former President Muhammadu Buhari, the interest of the blind and vulnerable in the society will be adequately protected.
“It is to provide the blind and visually impaired persons with access to learning and written materials, he said.
The Director-General emphasized that the newly enacted Copyright Act has facilitated the cross-border exchange of materials, making it easier and more cost-effective to bring accessible books from other countries into Nigeria. Asein also mentioned that the Copyright Commission has reached an agreement with the blind community to designate a specific day annually as the National Accessibility Day.
"We have mutually agreed to observe October 4 as the day to shed more light on the challenges faced by the blind community and explore ways to enhance the availability of materials for blind students in different educational institutions," he added.
In his remarks, Mr. Ishaqu Gombe, the National President of the Nigeria Association of the Blind (NAB), explained that the purpose of the convention was to assess the activities and programs of the various state chapters, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT)
