…Bill unlocks access to educational materials – Sightsavers

By Gabriel Ewepu, Abuja

Visually-impaired Nigerians under the auspices of National Association of the Blind, NAB, Thursday, hailed President Muhammadu Buhari over signing Copyrights Bill into law that takes off legal barriers to intellectual works for unhindered access to educational materials.

Speaking during a press conference in Abuja, President, NAB, Ishiyaku Adamu, said the signing of the Bill into law was a major breakthrough for millions of blind Nigerians who have been finding it difficult to access necessary educational materials to fulfill their dreams and aspirations. 

 

The National Copyright Bill was signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari on March 17, 2023.

Adamu said: “Today, we are here to celebrate a very big achievement and landmark in the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari and in the lives of print-disabled Nigerians.

“We have been struggling for almost 10 years to get a bill signed that would ensure access to printed materials for the visually impaired and other print-disabled people in Nigeria  until now but with the incoming administration we have succeeded in getting this.

“We also found the National Assembly for doing a great job by passing the Bill into Law, President Muhammadu Buhari assented to the National Copyright Bill, which granted access to printed materials.

“So today we are here to celebrate this long journey we have and also to express our gratitude to all our partners that make these entire journey possible, despite all the difficulties and despite the long journey we have today, we are here celebrating today and Nigeria is one of the very few countries for ratifying the Marrakesh Treaty.”

 According to him, the struggle has been on for over 20 years, on the heels of shortage of print materials for the visually impaired and otherwise known as print-disabled, which was calculated to be less than two per cent globally, and less than one per cent in the developing country like Nigeria.

“We have teamed up with other stakeholders to see how best we can get Nigerian Government also to ratify the treaty. We started your journey until 2017, the Federal Executive Council ratified the treaty, which is the Marrakesh Treaty and deposited the instrument of ratification, the intellectual property, which signaled that Nigeria is now a signatory.

“But under the Nigerian law we cannot start enjoying the provision of that treaty for the way it is domesticated. We are working very hard around that.”

He also made it known that the Bill being signed into law was bringing on board the Director General of the Nigerian Copyrights Commission, who also was instrumental to the signing of the Bill.

 He also said a lot of visually impaired Nigerians will have access to education as far as the Bill is concerned, and added that Sightsavers has been the brain behind the struggle through various supports.

However, he (Adamu) called for more support from partners to ensure smooth implementation of the Act.

Also speaking was the Director General, Nigerian Copyright Commission, Dr John Assein, acknowledged that the blind as bon a fide citizens of Nigeria have actually been limited in their advancement in education in various field of endeavours following poor access to books including other print disabled persons.

Assein assured that the Commission will ensure the Act translates to real benefits for the blind and other visually impaired Nigerians as beneficiaries.

“I wish to reassure you that the Nigerian Copyright Commission is already consulting on how to ensure that the special exception for the blind in the new Act translates to real benefits for the intended beneficiaries. Publishers should therefore rethink their business models to embrace inclusive publishing”, he said.

 The Country Director, Sightsavers Nigeria, Dr Dr Sunday Isiyaku, said the bill unlocks access to educational materials for the Blind including children who are print-disabled, and commended Buhari for the action by giving hope to the blind after many years being in the dark.

Isiyaku who was represented by the Programme Manager, Social Inclusion, Sightsavers, Esther Angulu, said the quagmire has been eliminated by the Act that the blind found themselves as a result of barriers placed by intellectual property owners based on the Marrakesh Treaty Nigeria has ratified and now a signatory.

“We are thrilled to announce that Sightsavers is immensely grateful for the government’s unwavering support and endorsement of the Marrakesh Treaty. The Treaty represents a significant milestone in our collective efforts to promote greater access for people with disabilities, especially those with visual impairments.

“We are immensely grateful to the President for affixing his signature to the bill, thereby making it an act. With this momentous decision, the creation and sharing of accessible format copies of materials has been simplified. This will go a long way in promoting greater cultural participation, education, and social inclusion for people with disabilities.

“We are excited to continue working with the National Association of the Blind (NAB) to initiate the process of implementation. As an organization, Sightsavers is committed to working with both local and international partners to promote the inclusion of people with disabilities in all aspects of the society, including education, employment, and community life.

“We look forward to the implementation of the Marrakesh Treaty for the benefit of people with disabilities across the country he said.

The Executive Secretary, National Commission for People with Disabilities, James Lalu, showered accolades on Buhari, stakeholders, partners, and the National Assembly for making a dream come through for the signing of the Copyright Bill into.

Lalu said the Commission’s print press is available to print the educational materials free of charge.