The Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) has pledged its support for blind and visually impaired people as the world marks International White Cane Day.
The Commission in collaboration with the Nigeria Association of the Blind (NAB) joined the blind and visually impaired community around the world to celebrate the day.
The day is commemorated annually on October 15, to draw attention to the white cane as a symbol of blindness, and a sign of the strength and independence that the user must continue to exhibit in today’s world.
The 2019 theme “White Cane: My Safety, My Productivity” underscores the need to educate the rest of the society about blindness and how the blind and visually impaired could live and work independently.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that members of the association and staff of the commission, led by the Director General, Mr. John Asein, held an awareness walk in Abuja.
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Asein stated that the commission would embark on a project to provide accessible books and assistive technologies for the blind and visually impaired.
He said, “In furtherance of Nigeria’s ratification of the treaty, the Nigerian Copyright Commission is supporting a project under the Accessible Books Consortium of World Intellectual Property Organisation.
“It is aimed at capacity building assistance, provision of accessible books and assistive technologies to persons, who are blind and visually impaired in Nigerian schools.
“The project is designed to address the book famine experienced by the over 500,000 students of school age in Nigeria.
“It will also promote inclusive publishing and build the capacity of authorised entities to take advantage of the provisions of the Marrakesh Treaty, ” Asein said.
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NAN reports that in June 2013, member states of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) adopted the Marrakesh Treaty for the Blind, Visually Impaired and Persons with Print Disabilities.
The treaty promotes easy access to books and learning materials by allowing for the production and cross-border transfer of accessible format copies for the benefit of persons with blindness or otherwise print disabled.
Nigeria deposited its instrument of ratification in October 2017 and the provisions of the treaty are already contained in the Draft Copyright Bill.
The provisions in the Draft Copyright Bill will make it easier for print disabled persons in Nigeria, including the blind and dyslexics, to access millions of books in Nigeria and from other parts of the world.
NAN reports that the group took the awareness walk from the Unity Fountain through the Ministry of Justice to the Office of the Secretary General of the Federation (SGF). (NAN)
