The Nigerian Copyright Commission has cautioned school authorities in Akwa Ibom to refrain from the illegal production and sale of books.

Cornelia Ibanga, the Akwa Ibom NCC coordinator, gave the warning during an inspection tour of school bookshops in Uyo metropolis on Tuesday.

Ms Ibanga said that some schools in the state had cultivated the habit of reducing standards by patronising pirates instead of credible publishers.

The coordinator stated that the commission would henceforth deal decisively with any school found to be culpable of distributing pirated books.

“School owners should be fully vigilant; they should be cautious in order to avoid being complicit in book piracy. We advise schools to directly patronise publishers or reach out to them through their representatives and reputable book stores,” he said.

Ms Ibanga further stated that the commission had held a series of meetings with school management on the need to comply with anti-copyright laws.

She said that the commission would continue to monitor and enforce compliance with the law in order to ensure sanity.

In his response, Jethro Fadero, the principal of Bright Star Academy in Uyo, described the sale of books to students as a distraction that schools should avoid.

Mr. Fadero urged schools to focus more on teaching rather than selling books.

“Let us give book lists to parents to source from book stores instead of selling to them,” he stated.

(NAN)