STAKEHOLDERS in the book value chain who recently congregated at a one-day Publishers Forum in the course of the 23rd Lagos Book & Art Festival, LABAF 2021, have released the communique of resolutions from the industry meet.
Titled, CORA-LABAF 2021 Book Sector Improvement Resolutions, the communique, signed by five speakers representing key agencies in the book value chain, as well as a representative of the Forum’s organising body, CORA, spelt out the immediate and long-term steps that must be taken by both government and those involved in the book value chain to ensure continuous development of the Book as an essential factor in the quest for national development.
In particular, the communique stated that deliberate policies and actions need to be initiated and taken to increase literacy in the country that has been badly challenged by vagaries of seemingly intractable socio-political and economic defects, and with no sign of amelioration by an obviously clueless successive governments and public education administrators.
The stakeholders were drawn from, among others, the Committee for Relevant Art, the Nigerian Book Fair Trust, the Nigerian Publishers Association, the Booksellers Association of Nigeria, the African Library and Information Associations and Institutions, and the Network of Book Clubs and Reading Promoters in Nigeria.
The theme of the session was: ‘Getting books to readers across the country and the Role of Library and Resource Centres in Getting Books to Readers.’
Chiea KAyode Aderinokun, 
Specific speakers and panelists that made presentations were Mr. Dare Oluwatuyi, Chief (Hon.) Uchenna Cyril Anioke, Dr Nkem Osuigwe, Mr. Gbadega Adedapo, Mr Dotun Eyinade, Iquo DianaAbasi, Farida Ladipo-Ajayi, Princess Irede Abumere, Mrs Funmi Ilori, Amara Chimeka, Rufus Onaopemipo and Ademola Adefolami.
The session was moderated by Mr Richard Mammah, President, Network of Book Clubs and Reading Promoters in Nigeria, NBRP. It was coordinated by Segun Aribisala on behalf of CORA and supported by Quramo Publishing.
The communique reads as follows:
Communique
Arising from a session of the Publishers Forum at the 23rd Lagos Book and Arts Festival, LABAF, on Thursday, November 18, 2021, stakeholders in the book sector in Nigeria resolved as follows:
1. To encourage greater collaboration and networking among players in the books ecosystem as part of a drive for a more seamless books sector and to better facilitate joint advocacy in the overall interest of all players. Book industry stakeholders must be fully ready to raise their voices and make their activities more visible for all to see through enhanced public awareness and sensitization.
2. To remind government of its role in the continued nurturing and development of the book sector, beginning with the coming into effect of a National Book Policy within the shortest possible time.
3. To encourage the attachment of functional and viable book clubs to all libraries in the country.
4. To encourage governments across board, and particularly at the local government area level, to establish, maintain, staff and furnish at least one community library per LGA, whose book stock must be renewed and updated annually.
5. That going forward, libraries should be seen and regarded as more than ‘houses of books,’ but even more appropriately as ‘living community houses and centres of ideas and culture’ where unfettered dissemination and transmission of information is maximally encouraged and takes place.
6. That government, as well as stakeholders in the book trade, should pay even greater regard to factors of ease of availability and affordability of books as a way of engendering improved readership patronage. That in a practical sense, stakeholders should do more to facilitate the coming into being of at least one ‘National Books Distribution Company’ as a practical vehicle for lowering distribution and marketing costs within the next three years.
7. That Publishers must take advantage of the Information Technology tools prevalent amongst the youths nowadays, to package their contents for readers across various formats (audio books, e-book, V-book, braille etc) to encourage and promote reading amongst the youths
8. That the respective associations in the book trade should continue with their ongoing engagements in respect of the restoration of the traditional book chain and invest more resources in order that we may be able to better guarantee the immediate and long-term sustainability of the books ecosystem in Nigeria.
Signed
Jahman Anikulapo
Committee for Relevant Art
Mr. Gbadega Adedapo
Nigerian Book Fair Trust
Chief (Hon.) Uchenna Cyril Anioke
Nigerian Publishers Association
Dare Oluwatuyi
Booksellers Association of Nigeria
Dr Nkem Osuigwe
African Libraries and Information Associations and Institutions
Richard Mammah
Network of Book Clubs and Reading Promoters in Nigeria
