Gov’t should invest in smaller publishers – Ibzar
Ibrahim Abdullahi Muhammad (Ibzar) is the ManagingDirector, Ibzar Publishing Company Ltd in Jos, Plateau State. In this interview with Daily Trust he speaks on the challenges facing publishing companies in northern Nigeria. He also explains how writing an
You once described writing and publishing in the north as being in dire state. Is that still the situation?
There is improvement now because after I had series of interviews on what needed to be done to revamp writing and publishing in the north, a lot of writers met me and I gave them the guidelines on writing provided by government. I told them that if they wrote based on the guidelines, their books would not be in vain. To my greatest surprise, a few months after, some of them came back to me with their manuscripts, following the guidelines I had given them. Some of them wrote nursery school books and some wrote on topics for junior secondary school. I am proud of what they did.
Now that there is improvement, how will your company publish their books?
We are trying to see that government starts considering publishing companies from the north. Some of the books we published by such writers include: Skills in English Communication, Social Studies, Civic Education, Islamic Studies, CRK, Security Education and Nursery English among others. What we want is for the government to patronize these books for use in the schools.
What kind of agreement does your company enter into with the writers before you publish their books?
Each publishing company has rules, regulations and guidelines that it uses before publishing any material. Some will agree with joint ventures, while in others, the company will take care of the cost of printing, publishing and distribution and the writer will get a percentage on each book sold. Some companies only buy the copyright of the books, but our policy is flexible, it depends on what was discussed and agreed.
What advice do you have for the writers?
I want writers to remain focused and resolute in writing what will impact the society positively, I also want northern writers to look at what their contemporaries in other parts of the country are doing and be better than them by being innovative, creative and skillful. They should also write on English, science and technology, culture, security, agriculture, health and education.
What are the challenges facing publishing companies in the north?
The main challenge facing these companies is lack of patronage from all tiers of governments. Government does it give them assistance, it only focuses on big and strong companies, and this action thwarts the growth of publishing companies in the north.
How do you think these companies will overcome the challenges facing them?
The best approach for the publishing companies to grow is for the government to assist them. I don’t mean government should give these companies money, but rather patronize them, buy the books they have published. This will boast the economy. I didn’t also say government should stop patronizing big companies but to expand the patronage to reach the smaller ones. This will boost the publishing industry because a lot of people will get jobs starting from the writers down to the marketers.
You have spent decades in the printing and publishing industry, how do you think the industry can create job opportunities in Nigeria?
If you can find out about the writing and publishing industries in other countries you will be amazed because their writers are rich. The writing and publishing industry is big enough to create millions of job opportunities. My only appeal is that, there is a need of government to focus on writing and publishing in the north, doing so will generate employment in the region. Don’t forget, due to our population there are a lot of readers who can sustain the publishing industry in the country.
Before a book is published there are a lot of people involved. It involves the writer, it also involves management, business, and financial occupations which comprised of general and operational managers, marketing managers and sales managers. On professional and related occupations, it includes graphic designers and editors. On sales and related occupations, it consist of first-line supervisors/managers of non-retail sales workers, advertising sales agents; sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing. On office and administrative support, it involves customer service representatives, secretaries and administrative assistants and office clerks. On production, printers come into play; then transportation and material moving. A lot of people are benefiting from the publishing industry. Therefore, if government will focus on this industry, millions of job opportunities will be created.
What call do you have for the government in order to assist the publishing companies in northern Nigeria?
Considering the blueprint and change agenda of the APCled administration, I believe if this government said it will do a particular project, it will. I said this because the education sector is one of the federal government’s cardinal project it wants to embark on. Previous governments will budget money on education and at the end, nothing will be done, therefore I urge this government to assist and patronize publishing companies in the north in order to boost the economy of the region, most especially now that there are northern companies that have