Nigerian literary stakeholders form collective to champion authors’ rights, royalty reforms

By Editor

THE Nigerian literary community has taken a significant step toward strengthening the country’s copyright and royalty system for writers, a statement issued after Poets in Nigeria’s (PIN) 10th anniversary public lecture and signed by the founder of Poets in Nigeria, Mr. Eriata Oribhabor, has said. Following deliberations at the Poets in Nigeria (PIN) 10th Anniversary Public Lecture held on Tuesday, October 7, 2025, literary stakeholders resolved to form a coalition that will advocate for equitable remuneration for authors and enforce copyright protection across the industry. The theme of the public lecture was ‘Beyond the Manuscript: Towards Equitable Royalties and Copyright Structures in Nigeria’s Literary Ecosystem.’

The lecture, anchored by poet and media specialist Mr. Paul T. Liam, featured poet, development expert, founder of Isu Media Ltd and CEO of Akweya TV Limited), Mr. Odoh Diego Okenyodo and the Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief at The Difference and founding President of Network of Book Clubs and Reading Culture Promoters in Nigeria (NBRP), Mr. Richard Mammah. Writers in attendance were drawn from various literary organisations and groups, including: Poets in Nigeria (PIN), Splendors of Dawn Poetry Foundation, Literary Authors Cooperative (LITACO), Fahimta Literary Discourse, The Discourse, and many others.

Discussions highlighted the fragile nature of Nigeria’s publishing ecosystem and the urgent need for a unified framework to ensure that writers are fairly compensated and their intellectual property safeguarded.

Participants agreed to form a collective body that will champion copyright enforcement for authors and publishers in Nigeria, promote transparent and equitable royalty systems between authors and publishers, advocate policy reforms to align Nigeria’s literary sector with global best practices, and create a collecting society—akin to the Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON), which represents musicians—to manage and enforce the rights of literary creators.

An Interim Steering Committee has been constituted to midwife the process of establishing the proposed collecting society. It will be co-led by the founding President of Network of Book Clubs and Reading Culture Promoters in Nigeria (NBRP), Mr. Richard Mammah, founder of Splendors of Dawn Poetry Foundation/Akweya TV Limited, Mr. Odoh Diego Okenyodo and the founder of Literary Authors Cooperative (LITACO), Mrs. Awele Ilusanmi. The committee will design operational modalities, engage relevant government agencies such as the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), and collaborate with existing creative rights organisations and international partners.

The collective plans to convene a National Roundtable on Literary Rights and Royalties before the end of 2025, draft a Framework Document on the establishment of a Literary Collecting Society of Nigeria (LITCOSON), work with the NCC and other stakeholders to obtain formal recognition and licensing and initiate awareness campaigns to educate authors and publishers on their rights and responsibilities.

This move signals a new era of professionalism, fairness, and sustainability in Nigeria’s literary sector. By uniting under a common cause, writers, publishers, and book promoters are laying the foundation for a future in which creativity is not only celebrated but also adequately rewarded.

Young poets and their mentors after a coaching session